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Today's News of 2015

A perfect ending for this senior

Collin Shoop, a mathematics and computer science major who graduated Saturday, capped his time at Bloomsburg University as about as perfect as one could — with a perfect score of 200 on the ETS Major Field Test for Mathematics. He is the first BU student to do so in math, according to the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science.

“I was surprised, definitely not expecting a perfect score,” said Shoop, adding the test was part of his math capstone course, math modeling. “Looking back, taking Theory of Computation and Abstract Algebra really helped. The questions can be very complicated and convoluted.”

Within the first few questions, Shoop said he felt very prepared.

“It was gratifying,” Shoop said. “I quickly felt what I had done before (classroom) had set me up for success.”

And it wasn’t the first time. Just before the fall semester, Shoop scored a perfect 170 in the quantitative section of the GRE test, which placed him in the top 98 percentile. Last spring, Shoop was among a group of students who created an interactive website application from scratch to display real-time readings of electric power usage across lower campus.

“I learned a lot here,” said Shoop, who is planning to attend graduate school at Penn State University to study computer science. “I’m ready for the next step. I also know I’m probably not going to be able to get as close to professors as I did here. I really enjoyed that.”

Holiday Food Drive assists nine local families

Bloomsburg University’s 2015 Holiday Food Drive was a big success! Thank you to everyone for your generous donations and support to this worthy event. We were able to provide a box of food to nine families in the region and gifts were provided for the children.

In addition, six boxes of food items were donated to the Catawissa Food Cupboard which is in dire need of food due to a large increase in families needing support.

Monetary support was also provided to AGAPE and the Bloomsburg and Orangeville food cupboards. The University Holiday Food Drive began in 1988. Pictured (L-R) Carla Rodenhaver, Audra Halye, Kim Heidlauf, Rickey Hayes, Patricia Mordan and Dang Labelle in the front.

Nursing students enjoy fun service project

To help conclude and celebrate the fall semester, Bloomsburg University senior nursing majors in the Theta Zeta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing held a blanket-making party.

The blankets were made as a service project and donated to Camp Chameleon, a camping program focused on children with epilepsy held in June at Camp Victory, Millville.

Sigma Tau Delta welcomes new members

Bloomsburg University’s Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society, welcomed 19 new members this fall. Throughout the school year, Sigma Tau Delta enjoys participating in many service projects to include TreeFest and The Big event.

With more than 875 active chapters in the United States and abroad, in addition to more than 1,000 Faculty Sponsors, Sigma Tau Delta is one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) - the nation's only certifying agency for college and university honor societies. In addition, Sigma Tau Delta recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.

Flag Football advances to NIRSA National tourney

Bloomsburg University's intramural flag football team, Husky Pride, recently swept the NIRSA Region 1 Tournament at Springfield College, Mass., advancing to the NIRSA National Championship at University of West Florida, Fla., Jan. 2 to 4, 2016.

Husky Pride, making a return trip to nationals, will compete against the other regional winners. This the third time in past 5 years, which a team has represented Bloomsburg Universities at nationals. The past two years the team had been runner-up.

Three members of Husky Pride were named to the NIRSA Region 1 All-Tournament Team. There were Brian Miller, also named MVP, Anthony Santalori and DJ McFadden.

Soil judging team tackles first-ever competition

Seven weeks of training boiled down to a three-day landmark experience this fall for Bloomsburg University’s first-ever soil judging team. Seven students from the Department of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences placed eighth among 16 teams in the NE Regional Soil Judging Competition in Ohio, where they were tasked to correctly identify, evaluate, classify and describe different soil profiles.

“Our team placed very well for their first year in competition,” said Matt Ricker, assistant professor of environmental, geographical and geological sciences. “They learned a lot about soil science and field-based land use interpretations.”

Judging in the competition consisted of figuring out how many horizons there were in the soil, which according to Ricker, means how many different layers of different types of soil there are in each pit. They also judged on morphology of the soil, landscape, soil classification, and site interpretation.

“This was a great experience for my major, because it really gets you to do good field work and pushes you to perform better because it is in a competition environment,” said Erik Franz, environmental, geographical and geological sciences major. “I also believe this will be something great to put on my resume, because it is an extracurricular activity that can help me in my job field.”

Digital Forensics teams put to the test

Two teams of Bloomsburg University digital forensics students were put to the test this fall at the Open Source INTelligence competition, where each placed in the top four. According to the students, the Open Source competition is designed to test techniques in gathering information to help keep companies and the public more secure.

In the competition the teams had to answer a series of questions. The faster you answered the more points you received, according to Brittany Dawson, president of BU’s Digital Forensics Club. Dawson said the questions were specific to two important people — the head of the conference and one of the speakers. One such question, “Where did the speaker go to school?” resulted in the teams searching the Internet to find the answer.

“One of the most nerve-wracking moments was the last half an hour, because we were in second place,” Dawson said. “We could not believe we had done so well in the competition. It was my team’s first one. We tried our hardest to answer the last question, but we just couldn’t. But nonetheless, we ended up in second place and took home some awesome prizes.”

Anthropology majors present at AAA annual meetings

Anthropology students Erika Maxson, Maggie Hill, and Cassandra McMillen were mentored by faculty members Damien Marken, Faith Warner, and DeeAnne Wymer as they presented their original and collaborative research on the national stage of the world’s largest professional organization of anthropologists.

Last summer Maxson participated in archaeological mapping of the Classic Maya (250-900 CE) city of El Perú-Waka’ in the Petén lowlands of Guatemala as a member of the El Perú-Waka’Regional Archaeological Project under the direction of Damien Marken. Her poster in Denver presented the results of hydrological analysis of the topographic data from the city center and a regional digital elevation model (DEM) to determine where water flows and accumulates within the site and the region.

Student travel was supported by COLA Student Professional Development awards and an URSCA award supported the research conducted by Cassandra during the summer 2015 Bloomsburg University Archaeology Fieldschool directed by DeeAnne Wymer. Hill also received a summer 2015 URSCA grant to complete her research towards completion of her Honor’s Program requirements under the supervision of Faith Warner.

Also attending was May 2015 Bloomsburg graduate Jasmin Velez who presented original ethnographic research conducted under the direction of Faith Warner and who now attends graduate school at the University of Colorado, Denver. Students networked with professionals in their field and attended a graduate school and job placement fair at the conference.

COB students showcase skills in sales competitions

Bloomsburg University was among 36 schools from across the country, as well as Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, to compete this fall in the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business 9th Annual National Sales Challenge — an intense series of selling competitions and workshops.

In addition, a second BU team went on to place eighth out of 60 universities competing in the International Collegiate Sales Competition in Orlando. Maura Kranzel succeeded to the third round with 11 other competitors resulting in her being in the top 12 out of 120 students competing. Joining her were Jordan Leitner, Alexander Fuchsman, Evan Lepovetsky, Maura Kranzel and Justin Cristelli, along with advisor Monica J. Favia, assistant professor of management and marketing.

For the last three years BU has consistently placed in the top ten schools at this competition, according to Favia.

The annual National Sales Challenge is designed by the University’s Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales to strengthen students’ sales skills and offer them an opportunity to network with business executives from companies around the country who will judge the events and serve as sponsors. Competing there for BU were Bryan McCall, Anthony Raibick, and Michael Sherwood, along with their coach Heather Kirkwood, assistant professor of management and marketing.

Frederick Douglass Scholar awarded discovery grant

Kristen Lewis, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded a grant of supercomputer time and storage from the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) program. XSEDE is a single virtual system that allows scientists access to supercomputers and high-end visualization and data analysis resources across the county.

XSEDE is a five-year, $121-million project supported by the National Science Foundation. Lewis was approved for a one-year startup allocation of 50,000 SUs (service units) on Comet, a supercomputing system housed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), and 500GB of medium-term disk storage on Data Oasis, a data storage system also housed at SDSC.

Lewis is a computational chemist, one who studies the properties of chemicals through computer modeling. Specifically, she will be investigating the effects of hydroxyl group distribution on the stability, structure, and antioxidant activity of fullerenols – molecules related to “buckminsterfullerenes” (aka “Buckyballs”) — an important current research area in materials chemistry.

Frederick Douglass Teaching Scholars

Ashley Belle — University of Maryland: EGGS department

Heather Ervin — Penn State : Mathematics Department

Kristen Lewis — Jackson State University: Chemistry Department

David Hanley-Tejeda — University of Illinois: Communications Department

Stephanie Parham — Tulane University: History Department

Carley Shinault — Howard University: Political Science Department

James Vines — Clemson University: Academic Enrichment

Michele Welliver — Penn State: Marketing Department

During the fall semester, the scholars met weekly in professional development sessions with S. Ekema Agbaw, coordinator of the Frederick Douglass Teaching Scholars program. As an outcome of these sessions they have developed an academic support program for regular admit minority and low income students called ASAP (Alliance for Students’ Achievement Program).

EGGS students explore birthplace of conservation

There aren’t too many more perfect field trips for environmental conservation students than a day at Grey Towers in Milford, which is home to the first forester and founder of the USDA Forest Service.

And that’s just what one Bloomsburg University class did this fall, courtesy of Benjamin Franek, assistant professor of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences.

The Pinchot family, who built Grey Towers, are given credit for introducing the idea of conservation to America in the 19th Century. The mansion and surrounding 102 acres provided spectacular views of nature and serve to educate the public on conservation issues, Franek said.

Career Intensive Boot Camp

Are you ready for life after graduation? Nervous about the transition to professional life? Want to feel more prepared? Let Bloomsburg University’s Center for Professional Development and Career Experience help. Graduating seniors are invited to join BU staff and alumni for its first-ever Career Intensive Boot Camp on Feb. 19 to 21 in the Greenly Center, downtown Bloomsburg.

Extended hours starting this winter session!

Bloomsburg University’s Center for Professional Development and Career Experience, located in the Student Services Center, will be open this winter session along with expanded evening hours — Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Not on campus this winter? No worries, the CPDCE still has you covered. Students are encouraged to schedule a virtual meeting by calling 570-389-4070.

How can we help?

Career coaching

Resume and cover letter reviews

Interview preparation

Job search strategies

Experiential learning opportunities, such as job shadowing and internships

Research unearths potential career path

It’s pretty evident. Cassie McMillen enjoys testing the limits of her curiosity. Where it goes, she follows with enthusiasm.

Her latest academic quest began with a simple cultural anthropology class, then grew into a healthy fascination this past summer digging in Ohio at a Hopewell habitation site to ultimately reaching a national stage recently at the 114th American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting in Denver. McMillen, a senior anthropology and psychology major, has been working with DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, since the spring on the professor’s ongoing research of the Hopewell culture in southern Ohio that existed between about 100 B.C. and A.D. 400.

“(It’s) a huge experience as an undergrad to present research at a national conference,” says McMillen of her opportunity to present this latest research at the AAA meetings. “I also present last year, so I’m building my CV (curriculum vitae). And I’ve had the field school, so I’m building my CV even more, which makes me a good candidate for grad school.”

COST Research Day

BU's College of Science and Technology invites the campus community to Research and Scholarship Day on Friday, Dec. 4, in Hartline Science Center. Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty members from a broad range of disciplines present their research and scholarship, either through a poster presentation or during a 15-minute oral presentation.

“An absolutely essential component of scholarship is the communication of our findings," Dean Robert S. Aronstam said. "Science and scholarship is a community endeavor. We don’t engage in science so we know the answer; we engage in science so we can share our findings with others and thus contribute to the evolution of our culture.”

A perfect ending for this senior

Collin Shoop, a mathematics and computer science major who graduated Saturday, capped his time at Bloomsburg University as about as perfect as one could — with a perfect score of 200 on the ETS Major Field Test for Mathematics. He is the first BU student to do so in math, according to the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science.

“I was surprised, definitely not expecting a perfect score,” said Shoop, adding the test was part of his math capstone course, math modeling. “Looking back, taking Theory of Computation and Abstract Algebra really helped. The questions can be very complicated and convoluted.”

Within the first few questions, Shoop said he felt very prepared.

“It was gratifying,” Shoop said. “I quickly felt what I had done before (classroom) had set me up for success.”

And it wasn’t the first time. Just before the fall semester, Shoop scored a perfect 170 in the quantitative section of the GRE test, which placed him in the top 98 percentile. Last spring, Shoop was among a group of students who created an interactive website application from scratch to display real-time readings of electric power usage across lower campus.

“I learned a lot here,” said Shoop, who is planning to attend graduate school at Penn State University to study computer science. “I’m ready for the next step. I also know I’m probably not going to be able to get as close to professors as I did here. I really enjoyed that.”

More than 400 to receive degrees

More than 450 students will earn degrees from Bloomsburg University during commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12, in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. On Saturday, 225 students in the College of Education and College of Liberal Arts will receive their diplomas during a ceremony at 10 a.m., and 184 students will graduate from the College of Business and the College of Science and Technology in a 2:30 p.m. ceremony.

Top Honor Graduates

Students who earned the highest grade point average in their college will be recognized during both ceremonies. They are:

COLA — Kimberly M. Bills, social work, with a concentration in family, children and youth

COE — Kaitlyn M. Doddy, special education/elementary education, with an emphasis in mathematics

Traditionally, BU faculty deliver the commencement address at the fall ceremonies. Scott C. Lowe, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, will speak at the morning ceremony, and Cynthia Venn, professor of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences, will deliver the afternoon address. On Friday, 59 students will receive their master’s or doctoral degrees during a 6 p.m. ceremony.

Frederick Douglass Scholar awarded discovery grant

Kristen Lewis, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded a grant of supercomputer time and storage from the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) program. XSEDE is a single virtual system that allows scientists access to supercomputers and high-end visualization and data analysis resources across the county.

XSEDE is a five-year, $121-million project supported by the National Science Foundation. Lewis was approved for a one-year startup allocation of 50,000 SUs (service units) on Comet, a supercomputing system housed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), and 500GB of medium-term disk storage on Data Oasis, a data storage system also housed at SDSC.

Lewis is a computational chemist, one who studies the properties of chemicals through computer modeling. Specifically, she will be investigating the effects of hydroxyl group distribution on the stability, structure, and antioxidant activity of fullerenols – molecules related to “buckminsterfullerenes” (aka “Buckyballs”) — an important current research area in materials chemistry.

Frederick Douglass Teaching Scholars

Ashley Belle — University of Maryland: EGGS department

Heather Ervin — Penn State : Mathematics Department

Kristen Lewis — Jackson State University: Chemistry Department

David Hanley-Tejeda — University of Illinois: Communications Department

Stephanie Parham — Tulane University: History Department

Carley Shinault — Howard University: Political Science Department

James Vines — Clemson University: Academic Enrichment

Michele Welliver — Penn State: Marketing Department

During the fall semester, the scholars met weekly in professional development sessions with S. Ekema Agbaw, coordinator of the Frederick Douglass Teaching Scholars program. As an outcome of these sessions they have developed an academic support program for regular admit minority and low income students called ASAP (Alliance for Students’ Achievement Program).

Nursing students enjoy fun service project

To help conclude and celebrate the fall semester, Bloomsburg University senior nursing majors in the Theta Zeta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing held a blanket-making party.

The blankets were made as a service project and donated to Camp Chameleon, a camping program focused on children with epilepsy held in June at Camp Victory, Millville.

Sigma Tau Delta welcomes new members

Bloomsburg University’s Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society, welcomed 19 new members this fall. Throughout the school year, Sigma Tau Delta enjoys participating in many service projects to include TreeFest and The Big event.

With more than 875 active chapters in the United States and abroad, in addition to more than 1,000 Faculty Sponsors, Sigma Tau Delta is one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) - the nation's only certifying agency for college and university honor societies. In addition, Sigma Tau Delta recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.

Flag Football advances to NIRSA National tourney

Bloomsburg University's intramural flag football team, Husky Pride, recently swept the NIRSA Region 1 Tournament at Springfield College, Mass., advancing to the NIRSA National Championship at University of West Florida, Fla., Jan. 2 to 4, 2016.

Husky Pride, making a return trip to nationals, will compete against the other regional winners. This the third time in past 5 years, which a team has represented Bloomsburg Universities at nationals. The past two years the team had been runner-up.

Three members of Husky Pride were named to the NIRSA Region 1 All-Tournament Team. There were Brian Miller, also named MVP, Anthony Santalori and DJ McFadden.

Digital Forensics teams put to the test

Two teams of Bloomsburg University digital forensics students were put to the test this fall at the Open Source INTelligence competition, where each placed in the top four. According to the students, the Open Source competition is designed to test techniques in gathering information to help keep companies and the public more secure.

In the competition the teams had to answer a series of questions. The faster you answered the more points you received, according to Brittany Dawson, president of BU’s Digital Forensics Club. Dawson said the questions were specific to two important people — the head of the conference and one of the speakers. One such question, “Where did the speaker go to school?” resulted in the teams searching the Internet to find the answer.

“One of the most nerve-wracking moments was the last half an hour, because we were in second place,” Dawson said. “We could not believe we had done so well in the competition. It was my team’s first one. We tried our hardest to answer the last question, but we just couldn’t. But nonetheless, we ended up in second place and took home some awesome prizes.”

COB students compete in national sales competition

Bloomsburg University was among 36 schools from across the country, as well as Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, to compete this fall in the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business 9th Annual National Sales Challenge — an intense series of selling competitions and workshops.

The competition was designed by the University’s Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales to strengthen students’ sales skills and offer them an opportunity to network with business executives from companies around the country who will judge the events and serve as sponsors.

EGGS students explore birthplace of conservation

There aren’t too many more perfect field trips locally for environmental conservation students than a day at Grey Towers in Milford, which is home to the first forester and founder of the USDA Forest Service.

And that’s just what one Bloomsburg University class did this fall, courtesy of Benjamin Franek, assistant professor of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences.

The Pinchot family, who built Grey Towers, are given credit for introducing the idea of conservation to America in the 19th Century. The mansion and surrounding 102 acres provided spectacular views of nature and serve to educate the public on conservation issues, Franek said.

Honors research reaches national stage

Seven students from the Honors Program were recently selected to present their Honors Independent Study research projects at the 50th annual conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) in Chicago. Congratulations to all the students who represented BU very well in their poster sessions. Students in the photo are shown at the NCHC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala on Saturday night. BU students who attended NCHC this year are:

Aaron Whitebread, senior, information technology management – A Study of the Incident Response Rate for Security Breaches by PASSHE University with Loreen Powell

Students present Honors Independent Study

Honors students take two three-credit independent study courses where they work with a faculty mentor to complete a year-long research project. The final piece of their assessment is a 30-minute oral presentation along with a written research paper, which is open for submission for publication. Presentations will be held in the Honors classroom in Luzerne Hall, Room B-9. All are open to the campus community.

Monday, Nov. 30

2:30 p.m. — Shelby Coleman, Drinking Before the Drills: A Study of Three Pristine Water Sites in Sullivan County with Christopher Hallen

What are your plans this summer?

Vacation, friends, catching up on school work? Why not do all three!

Cameroon-Ethiopia — Bloomsburg University is offering a study abroad opportunity in Africa, and it is the perfect way for you to get ahead in your courses and have fun while doing so. The trip, which runs from May 8 through June 6, allows students to explore Cameroon and Ethiopia, while experiencing their rich culture.

In addition to receiving three to six credits towards graduation, students will be able to take a variety of courses, including: Gender and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, Multicultural Education, Natural Hazards and Disasters and Urban Practicum for Elementary and Primary Education for pre-service Teachers. Contact Ekema Agbaw at sagbaw@bloomu.edu for more information.

Last summer, did you learn a new language or experience a different culture? If not, you will this summer!

Morocco — Bloomsburg University is offering a study abroad opportunity in Fez, Morocco. From May 18 through June 10, students will learn the Arabic language, experience Moroccan culture, enjoy their amazing cuisine and earn six credits; all at once! And if that isn’t enough, this awesome trip includes two excursions full of the customs and traditions of the Middle East. This is too good to pass up! Contact Yahya Laayouni at ylaayoun@bloomu.edu for more information.

China — Jing Luo and Vera Viditz-Ward are taking students to China from May 15 through June 11. There is an informational meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. in Old Science Hall 220. Everyone is welcome and all questions will be answered.

Program fee includes international airfare, ground travel in China, visa, admissions, hotel and meals, registration, international medical insurance. Courses include Digital Photography (3GEP) - learn how to reflect life and culture through digital camera, and China Today (3GEP) - learn about China’s history, art, modern society and economic transformation.

London — Leaving around May 17 to 19, returning around June 8 to 9. Visit London this summer and earn six credits doing it! Program fee includes: Airfare, travel to and from airport in London, tickets to plays, trip to Stratford (Shakespeare’s home), accommodation in London’s West End. Tuition for six credits is not included. Contact: Scott Lowe at slowe@bloomu.edu.

What do you know about Hungary?

Bloomsburg University's Global Awareness Society International is offering the chance to visit Hungary, present your research to an international audience, and interact with scholars and professionals from around the world. Its 25th annual interdisciplinary conference will be held May 26 to 29, 2016, in Budapest Hungary. Whether you choose to present a paper or simply attend our sessions and discussion groups, this conference will raise your awareness of a multitude of global issues.

A post-conference History and Culture of Hungary Program, May 30 to June 4, will introduce participants to Hungarian traditions, cuisine, and modern day customs. Participation in the conference and post-conference activities is open to all. Students are encouraged to pursue GASI scholarship opportunities for travel grants, which offer partial support for the presentation of student research. Details, registration forms, and further information can be received by contacting Jim Pomfret at gasi@bloomu.edu.

FOCUS helps close out semester

Bloomsburg University’s Office of Minority Affairs will be hosting Martin Harris, Sr., pastor of F.O.C.U.S. Young Adult Ministry at Bethel Deliverance International in Philadelphia for an on-campus church visit on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m. in the KUB Multicultural Center for fellowship and to honor BU's Class of 2015 graduates. Free breakfast starting at 10:45 a.m. If you would like to take part in the program please contact Marcei Woods at 570-389-4091 for details.

Women’s Rugby reaches Final Four

And then there were four.

As a result of its 74-17 victory over Ithaca College in the Division II Women’s Rugby Elite Eight last weekend, the Bloomsburg University Women’s Rugby Club is just two victories away from a national championship.

BU travels to Furman University, S.C., for the Final Four next weekend.

The team reached the Elite Eight following an 80-5 victory over Rutgers University in the Sweet 16s, which was hosted by Vassar College, N.Y. BU won its first-ever Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference championship earlier this month by defeating University of Delaware in the semifinal and defeating Kutztown University for the title.

By advancing to the championship round, BU is among four teams remaining out of 120 teams competing at the Division II level.

MAL shines in nation's capital

Members of Bloomsburg University's Model Arab League (MAL) recently attended the Capital Area Regional Model in Washington, D.C. They represented the Sultanate of Oman and visited the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, where they met with the Ambassador, the Cultural Attache and several other Embassy officials.

The team won a Distinguished Delegation Award, while Eric Pangelinan, Amel Elsheakh, and Shyer Amin won Outstanding Delegate Awards for their representation on the Joint Defense Council and Joint Crisis Committee respectively.

Flag Football advances to NIRSA National tourney

Bloomsburg University's intramural flag football team, Husky Pride, recently swept the NIRSA Region 1 Tournament at Springfield College, Mass., advancing to the NIRSA National Championship at University of West Florida, Fla., Jan. 2 to 4, 2016.

Husky Pride, making a return trip to nationals, will compete against the other regional winners. This the third time in past 5 years, which a team has represented Bloomsburg Universities at nationals. The past two years the team had been runner-up.

Three members of Husky Pride were named to the NIRSA Region 1 All-Tournament Team. There were Brian Miller, also named MVP, Anthony Santalori and DJ McFadden.

Forensics Team showcases talent at multiple tournaments

Bloomsburg University’s Forensics Team recently won 25 individual speech and debate awards, including six first places, and fifth place and third place overall finishes at two recent Collegiate Forensic Association Speech and Debate tournaments at Morgan State University and Shippensburg University.

Bloomsburg University placed fifth out of eight schools at Morgan State University, finishing ahead of Liberty University, Lynchburg College, and Lord Fairfax Community College.

The team then placed third out of 8 schools at the CFA Holiday Tournament held at Shippensburg University, finishing ahead of Liberty University, West Virginia-Parkersburg, the University of Richmond, Davis and Elkins College, and Lord Fairfax Community College.

Neil Strine, director of the Forensics Team, and alumnus, Jackson Staples ’14, served as speech and debate judges at both tournaments. Timothy Oleksiak, assistant professor of English, and Erin Brummett, assistant professor of communication studies, serve as faculty coaches for the team. Forensics, which is supported by funding through the Community Government Association, meets every Monday at 9 p.m. in Bakeless Center 202. New members are always welcome.

Math Night equals fun

A group Bloomsburg University dual elementary education/special education majors recently helped roughly 50 students at St. Joseph’s Memorial School in Danville see the fun in math. The education majors got some hands-on classroom experience by creating engaging and standards-based activities to facilitate math topics in an fun fashion.

“I loved observing all of the activities the Bloomsburg Students came up with,” said Chloe Stine, a senior elementary education/special education major, who participated in Math Night last spring as well. “Last semester, I participated by creating an interactive station. This semester I took on a different role and had the opportunity to come back and take pictures.”

Kennedy Hilbolt, a senior elementary education/special education major, said the Math Night experience was great affirmation of the teaching skills she is learning through the College of Education.

“Being able to interact with children and plan learning experiences for them is something that we all love and enjoy doing,” Hilbolt said. “Having the opportunity to apply the math skills we are learning with students is something that really benefits our future careers. We all had a great time, and seeing the smiles of all the kids definitely made it all worth it!”

Husky Career Road Trip along the PA Turnpike

A group of Bloomsburg University students learned about the wide range of career opportunities available with the PA Turnpike Commission during a recent Husky Career Road Trip. The commission hires graduates in a variety of majors, such as accounting, management, mathematics, communication studies and ITM, according Craig Shuey, chief operations officer.

Shuey graduated from BU in 1994 and hosted the trip. During their visit, the students learned about the history of the commission, toured the facility, heard about job and internship opportunities and enjoyed a networking lunch before returning to campus.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) was created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The commission consists of five members. Four members are appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania. The fifth member is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation. In addition to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the commission also operates the James E. Ross Highway, Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass, Mon/Fayette Expressway and Pittsburgh's Southern Beltway, the latter two of which are currently under construction.

Graduate student get published

Elizabeth Kribbs, a master’s degree student in Middle Level Education (Grades 4-8) Program, recently had her research paper published in the “International Journal of Research and Science.”

Her paper, “A Review of the Effects of Visual-Spatial Representations and Heuristics on Word Problem Solving in Middle School Mathematics,” reviews the techniques of Visual-spatial representation and Heuristics to see how these strategies might help students in middle schools solve mathematic word problems.

“I am getting my master’s degree in middle level mathematics, so naturally I am interested in strategies that would help these students,” said Kribbs. “I wanted to focus on word problems, because my experiences have shown me that these problems continue to pose a significant challenge to students. I wanted to find solutions that would satisfy both the needs of these students and the current demands for research-based practices.”

With out the help of her professor Beth Rogowsky, Kribbs said she would have not taken her paper to the extent it got to. Rogowsky was the one who encouraged Kribbs to send her manuscript to a research journal.

“She worked with me throughout the summer, sharing her experiences and offering me new research opportunities to make sure that everything in my paper was ready for publication,” Kribbs said. “I could not have done this without her.”

Military students, DKE brothers go the extra mile for veterans

Led by the Bloomsburg University Student Veterans Association and Delta Kappa Epsilon, military students and Greek Life members walked the Academic Quad on Veterans Day to raise money for the National Alliance to End Veteran Suicide.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 23 veterans die from suicide each day. This equates to more 8,000 deaths per year, and nearly 20 percent of all suicides in the United States.

For every $23 dollars raised BU’s military students and DKE brothers pledged to walk a mile on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to raise awareness for veteran suicide. The group ended up walking 246 miles, raising more than $3,225. All proceeds benefitted the National Alliance to End Veteran Suicide.

ACM students showcase programming talents

Two teams from Bloomsburg University’s Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) student chapter competed in a test of computer programming skills at Stockton University this fall.

The contest was part of the CCSC-Eastern Regional Conference, which featured 19 teams from schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Participating for BU were Brett Logan, Jacob Daniels, Daniel Pany, Brian Fekete, Courtney Pachucki and Rio Weber.

CCSC-Eastern is the Consortium of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Eastern Region. Erik Wynters, professor of mathematics, computer science and statistics, also presented a poster on parallel computing with GPUs.

The CCSC Eastern Regional Conference is designed to promote the exchange of information among college personnel and K-12 educators concerned with computer use and education in the academic environment. It provides an affordable regional forum for the exchange of ideas and information concerning computing and computing curricula. The consortium is a non-profit organization focused on promoting quality computer-oriented curricula as well as effective use of computing in smaller institutions of higher learning which are typically non-research in orientation. It supports activities which assist faculty in making appropriate judgments concerning computing resources and educational applications of computer technology.

Phi Kappa Phi Recognition Awards Ceremony

Bloomsburg University’s Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, recently held an annual award ceremony to recognize students with academic excellence in all disciplines. The chapter awards students yearly based on their academic performance during the student’s freshman year.

This event was conducted by Kevin Ball, chapter president, Phi Kappa Phi, and associate professor of psychology. After beginning, Provost and Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Ira Blake started the panel discussion, and awards ceremony.

During the award ceremony, 78 students were honored. The ceremony was concluded by Cynthia Surmacz, chapter secretary, Phi Kappa Phi, professor of biological and allied health sciences. Afterwards campus organizations gathered for light conversation with all participating professors and honored students.

Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level?

Add a unique experience to your resume? Looking for a meaningful challenge? Have fun, forge new bonds, and discover a world of opportunities while getting paid to study? Have a desire to serve as a future leader in the elite USAF Officer Corps?

Look no further than the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (AFROTC) program via Wilkes University! Our program is open to all full-time college students attending school in Northeast PA. Additionally, we are one of only four AFROTC programs in the entire state of Pennsylvania.

AFROTC prepares college students for a professional career as an officer (2nd Lieutenant) in the USAF post-graduation. Officers make up just 20 percent of the total Air Force, and serve in various leadership roles throughout their careers. Our AFROTC program is still accepting freshman students for the Spring 2016 semester. Program is open to all full-time college students in any major. Class meets once per week in the evening at Wilkes University. Sign up by contacting Capt. Melissa Bierma at melissa.bierma@wilkes.edu.

“Once Upon a Time … in Bloom”

Danny Hale, legendary former Huskies football coach, served as the parade’s grand marshal. Hale, one of the winningest coaches in Division II, completed his 25th season in coaching and his 20th season at Bloomsburg in 2012. After the parade, alumni attended the annual Alumni Homecoming Tent Party on the Fenstemaker Alumni House lawn. The celebration featured a complimentary buffet lunch, children’s games and music by local band, Totem Pole. Also planned during homecoming weekend were reunions for the Class of 1965 and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Two BU publications recognized for quality

How to chronicle one year in the life of a university? Bloomsburg University does it annually with Vision: The President’s Report, and was recognized for the quality of its 2014 edition with a Marcom Platinum Award from the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.

The story of Bloomsburg University is a personal story. Both Vision and Bloomsburg: The University Magazine, which won a Marcom Gold Award this year, tell BU’s story through the lives of people. The 2014 edition of Vision featured essays written by high-achieving students and recent graduates representing majors in all four colleges – Business, Liberal Arts, Education and Science and Technology.

Identifying these talented individuals, photographing them and helping to polish their essays was the role of BU’s Marketing and Communications staff and freelancer Jack Sherzer of the Harrisburg firm, Message Prose.

Women's Rugby advances to the Sweet 16s

It’s on to the Sweet 16s for the Bloomsburg University women’s rugby club. BU recently defeated Grand Valley State 70-5 in the national tournament Round of 32, hosted on upper campus. The winning effort was started by the defensive line play of Megan Reilly, Emily Eshleman and Erin Duganitz, who had dominating tackles.

Flankers Ericka Heath and Jade Hensinger shut down the attacks off of the scrums with Elizabeth Kendrick bringing constant pressure to Grand Valley State. Newcomer Jessica Spayd stepped up tremendously and brought the intensity the entire game.

Nikki Snyder was once again on fire finding the holes on defense and scoring multiple times with Kelly Mason capitalizing on the conversions. Selena Fernandez came in the second half and boosted the team even more by playing awesome defense and scoring a try. All in all, the rugby coaches said it was the team’s first game where it flowed on defense and played as a whole, “Our younger girls made this a special game for the seniors by making our last home game a senior day. They not only stepped up on the field but also off the field.”

Great American Smoke Out!

Bloomsburg University's Drug Alcohol Wellness Network (DAWN) focuses on helping students fully understand how a choice to use alcohol and other drugs can affect their health, academic performance, career and legal standing. Through its educational programs DAWN provides students with accurate and up-to-date information on which to make better informed decisions.

In recognition of the Great American Smoke Out, DAWN and its PAWS (Peer Awareness With Students) will draw attention Thursday, Nov. 19, to the negative impacts of smoking.

Students will conduct a campus cigarette butt clean up by putting all butts and tobacco-related litter in the Official Tally Container, then providing a report on how our campus is doing in regards to tobacco habits. DAWN will also keep track of how many butts were collected from which section of campus, how much time was spent cleaning up, and how many volunteers participated.

Who will claim their fame?

The 7th annual Claim Your Fame Talent Show will take place Thursday, Nov. 19, in the KUB Ballroom featuring 16 student acts competing in either vocal or dance categories. Hosted by students Madison Scheuch and Cody Deitz, this year’s talent show features Vice Versa as the Opening Dance Act and The Big Picture as the Closing Vocal Band Act.

All attendees will help decide the winners in each category by casting their ballots at the end of the show. Admission is free. It is advised to get there early when doors open at 8:30 p.m. since seating is limited. This event is sponsored by the DASL Campus Leadership program and volunteers from the Center for Leadership and Engagement.

International Education Week

International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. It is a joint initiative of the US Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education in an effort to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange in the United States.

Monday, Nov. 16, noon — Workshop: “Marketing Your International Experience, ” CPDCE Center, 207 SSC. Curious about how to promote your international experience on your resume? Wanting to discuss your international experience in an interview but not sure how to bring it up? The Center for Professional Development and Career Experience (CPDCE) staff will address these questions and others regarding your experiences abroad! Stop by Student Services Center to learn more.

No Hate Week

Bloomsburg University’s Office of Minority Affairs hosted Martin Harris, Sr., pastor of F.O.C.U.S. Young Adult Ministry at Bethel Deliverance International in Philadelphia for an on-campus church visit Sunday to help kick off No Hate Week, which was followed by a No Hate March from Carver Hall to the Academic Quad and back.

"When I first thought about No Hate, I was thinking I was going to make a difference and get everyone to come together. I had this image in my mind I was going to change the world, or should I say campus. It was of everyone coming together and being open no matter the color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation and actually seeing each other as people not characterized by how we speak, what we are wearing, what we have, or what we can offer and just unify as one in despite of it all."

"It seems like this is hard for people to do, and we cannot be blind to that we must speak on it and do something about it. Yes, talking about it is important but actually putting it into action is completely different. Then I realized I could not do this on my own. I do believe one person can make a difference in the world, but what is it if you do not share your vision with everyone else. Thankfully, I was able to do that, and people were able to help my vision come to life, which means the world to me. I am praying this can become an annual event on campus for many years to come," — Tionne McNeill '16

Officially ... It's Personal!

Bloomsburg University and the BU Foundation have officially launched It’s Personal: The Campaign for Bloomsburg University. The capital campaign is the largest of its kind in BU’s history, with a goal to raise $50 million. The recent campaign launch signifies the beginning of its public phase, following a five-year private phase.

“Since July 2010, more than 14,800 individuals and organizations have made financial gifts in support of Bloomsburg University and the It’s Personal campaign,” President David L. Soltz said. "As a result of the thousands of contributions we’ve received, we've raised $36,437,646.”

BU names new director of external relations

An area resident with experience in local government has been named director of external and government relations at Bloomsburg University. Dan Knorr, currently the Borough of Danville’s administrator of government affairs, served as mayor of the Town of Bloomsburg from 2008 to 2013 after two years as a member of Bloomsburg’s Town Council. The 2007 BU graduate will assume his new position at BU on Nov. 30.

“We are delighted to have Dan join us at a time when our university faces challenges and opportunities on the local, state and federal level,” said BU President David Soltz. “His experiences in government and as a Bloomsburg University student and alumnus combine to give him a unique perspective on issues that may affect public higher education today and in the future.”

As director of external and government relations, Knorr will serve as an advocate for the university and Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. He will monitor legislation and public policy, seek out opportunities for state and federal funding and economic development, and build relationships with higher education organizations, local governments and other entities.

Women's Rugby wins first-ever MARC title

Bloomsburg University’s Women’s Rugby Club won the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference championship this past weekend by defeating University of Del in the semifinal and defeating Kutztown University in the final with a score of 76-8. It’s the first conference title in the club’s 21-year history.

BU now advances to the national tournament, hosting the first round of 32s this weekend on upper campus. Last year, women’s rugby advanced to the national tournament following a MARC title loss to Kutztown.

Leading the offense this year is Kelly Mason, captain, along with Elizabeth Kendrick as the returning scrumhalf and centers Nikki Snyder, Caitlin Rycek, and Selena Fernandez. This year alone the team has scored 494 points off of 78 tries in just six games. The defense is led by Erin Duganitz, captain, and Megan Reilly as props, and senior Emily Eshleman as number eight.

Dean's Salute to Excellence

Three members of the university community were honored Friday, Oct. 23, with the Dean’s Salute to Excellence Awards during the College of Liberal Arts College-Wide Meeting. The awards started by former Dean Liu in 1989, recognize several faculty members each year for their work in teaching, professional development, scholarship and service in the College of Liberal Arts.

This year the honorees were Nawal Bonomo, former Assistant to the Dean who now serves as Director of Global Education and Multicultural Studies; Christina Francis, a 10-year faculty member in the English Department; and Jeff Leitzel, who has taught for 16 years in the Psychology Department.

Dean James Brown recognized Dr. Christina Francis from English and Dr. Jeff Leitzel from Psychology with the Dean’s Salute to Excellence Awards. Nawal Bonomo, former College of Liberal Arts Assistant to the Dean, was also honored, but unable to attend.

Professor discusses face of victim-refugees

Bloomsburg University's Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) presents a lecture by Wendy Lee, “When the Fish are Gone: Climate Change Refugees, Terrorists Real and Imagined, and Climate Change Denialism,” as part of ICS’s Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium. The lecture, which will be held Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, Room G38, is free and open to the public.

In this lecture, Lee, professor of philosophy, will use the plight of Mexico and Mexicans to argue that the fossil fuel industry fears that giving environmental refugees a human face would make climate change real to the public.

According to Lee, politicians in the U.S., influenced by oil and gas interests, seek political mileage by depicting undocumented workers as drug-runners, terrorists, or simply non-citizens taking away American jobs. She argues that the aim of this rhetoric is to sustain the power of fossil fuel corporations over developing world countries.

Lee concludes that increased public awareness of how environmental crises like climate change influence immigration could gradually transform racist narratives about drug-runners and terrorists into more humanized accounts of victim-refugees.

Author explores U.S. food system

Despite a bounty of food resources in the United States, not every citizen has access to healthy meals every day. Journalist and New York Times best-selling author Tracie McMillan will visit Bloomsburg University to reveal problems she sees in the U.S. food system and present her ideas on how to solve them.

McMillan will give a lecture, “The American Way of Eating: Problems with the American Food System,” on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. She will look at the way food gets from the field to the table in the U.S. and how it affects people in different social and economic classes.

McMillan has been called “a voice the food world needs” by the New York Times and singled out by conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh as an “overeducated … threat to liberty.” In a review of her book, “The American Way of Eating: Uncover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table,” Dwight Garner writes, “Ms. McMillan, like a lot of us, has grown to take an interest in fresh, well-prepared food. Her central concern, in her journalism and in this provocative book, is food and class. She stares at America’s bounty, noting that so few seem able to share in it fully, and she asks: ‘What would it take for us all to eat well?’ ”

Virtual game meets reality with BU Players

Horror strikes the stage as teens who are addicted to virtual gaming find it difficult to tell the game from reality in the Bloomsburg University Players’ production of “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom.” The performance, offered through BU’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, runs from Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 4 to 7, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. at Alvina Krause Theatre in downtown Bloomsburg.

“Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom,” written by Jennifer Haley, is the story of a suburban subdivision where parents find their teenagers addicted to an online horror video game set in a subdivision identical to their own. As the line blurs between virtual and reality, the players realize that fear has a life of its own.

Join WRC at PA women’s conference, featuring Jessica Alba

Select Bloomsburg University students will have an opportunity to attend the annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia on Nov. 19, courtesy of the Women’s Resource Center.

According to Monica Johnson, WRC coordinator, the annual conference hosts thousands of woman for a full day of networking, inspiration, professional development, and personal growth.

The impartial, nonprofit conference will have featured keynote speakers such as Jessica Alba, Carli Lloyd, and breakout sessions led by experts in the fields of business, philanthropy, health, finance, media, and professional development.

”The conference is a great opportunity to network, learn about current issues and trends for professional women,” Johnson said. “It also provides an opportunity to learn valuable and inspirational lessons about work and life from speakers and through workshops.”

The WRC, located on the side of Schuylkill Hall, is asking interested students to complete a short questionnaire. Those selected will go to the conference all fees and transportation paid for.

Biology students get inside look at Johns Hopkins medical imaging

Johns Hopkins School of Medical Imaging, one of the top medical imaging clinical sites in the country, recently hosted a group of Bloomsburg University students for a day filled with informative presentations by the directors of the Sonography, Radiography, and Nuclear Medicine programs.

The students were given the opportunity to meet personally with current students, including several BU alums, and clinical coordinators during their trip. The visit gave the students an inside look at what their futures could hold for them if they pursued medical imaging.

Gina Fiore, a junior biology major, learned how much hard work was needed when entering clinical rotations.

“Johns Hopkins is super vigorous and they don’t accept a ton of people into their program,” Fiore said. “The trip made me excited to enter a clinical program soon.”

Winner of the 2015 Freshman Library Orientation Drawing

Tianna Robinson is the winner of the 2015 Library Orientation Drawing. Incoming freshmen and transfer students were given the opportunity to complete an online orientation to become familiar with Andruss Library and all that it has to offer. In exchange, students who completed the online orientation had their names entered into a drawing for a gift card to the Bloomsburg University Campus Bookstore, courtesy of FOBULA (Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association).

Tianna Robinson is the lucky winner. The Library and FOBULA would like to congratulate Tianna on winning the gift card and wish her success in her studies at Bloomsburg University. Tianna plans to major in Business Management with a minor in Marketing and Communications. The Library also wishes to thank FOBULA for their generous donation.

Connecting in Cameroon

A relationship between two universities that began seven years ago with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding provided the seed for interactive digital forensics training expected to begin in January 2016.

Undergraduate students from Bloomsburg University have studied at Cameroon’s University of Buea since 2009 and BU President David Soltz accompanied the group in 2011. But it was faculty from BU’s Institute for Interactive Technology who linked Bloomsburg with online training for Cameroonian judges, police officers and lawyers.

The training was created by Scott Inch, professor of mathematics, computer science and statistics, in partnership with Michael Grube ’13/’15M. Inch developed most of the courses in BU’s bachelor’s degree program in digital forensics. Grube earned his bachelor’s degree in digital forensics, an evolving field that teaches students to retrieve information from computer hard drives, cell phones, tablets and other devices, and his master’s degree in interactive technology.

Protestant Campus Ministry awarded $85,000 grant

Lilly Endowment Inc. has given a grant of nearly $85,000 to Protestant Campus Ministry (PCM). This grant will fund the Vocation Exploration Initiative at BU (VEI-BU), a large-scale program open to all undergraduate students. VEI-BU will offer experiences, knowledge and practical tools to help students make career and life decisions reflective of their faith, values and unique calling.

“Students need help to ask the right questions that will facilitate their discernment about careers, relationships and how they will steward their lives both now and into the future,” said the Rev. Jill Young, director of PCM.

The program, funded by Lilly Endowment through 2019, will bring nationally known speakers to campus each year. It also will include vocation exploration circles, a six-week process that uses ancient and contemporary theological resources and discernment tools from the broad Christian tradition.

“I encounter students in the College of Business who are seeking direction in the ‘big picture’ of vocation, and I’m delighted to be able to direct them to the events and resources that PCM is offering,” said Mary Lenzini Howe, director of BU’s Zeigler Institute for Professional Development (ZIPD).

PCM's partners on this initiative include ZIPD, BU’s Center for Leadership and Engagement, Princeton Theological Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry, and Bloomsburg area churches.

Faculty complete online teaching training

Fifteen faculty members successfully completed the Teaching Online Certification Course (TOCC) offered in conjunction with six other PASSHE institutions. The five-week fully online course, based on Quality Matters, took place over the summer.

The instructors also voluntarily participated in face-to-face sessions prior to, during and upon completion of the course. The instructors involved exemplify the dedication and commitment that helps make Bloomsburg University such a great learning institution.

ICS screens film on child’s view of poverty

What does poverty look like from the eyes of a child?

PBS’s Frontline explores this and what it means for our country’s future in the documentary, “Poor Kids.”

The documentary, which explores the state of poverty in the U.S. today from children’s perspective, will be screened on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, room G38. It is open to the public free of charge.

The documentary is part of the university’s Institute for Culture and Society Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, aimed at increasing awareness of this topic and encouraging members of the campus community to become involved in organizing activities during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Where are you living next year?

More than 30 local landlords will be on-hand today for the Dean of Students Office’s annual off-campus housing fair in the KUB Multipurpose Room.

Students will have an opportunity to meet landlords on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as collect important information regarding living off campus next academic year. Refreshments will be served.

Living in the Town of Bloomsburg can be very rewarding and enjoyable. However, occurrences like getting utilities hooked up, paying bills and dealing with landlords and neighbors can be a great source of stress. Having greater freedom to make decisions can also create stress and anxiety. The Dean of Students Office assists in alleviating such stressors by answering all questions and concerns regarding off-campus housing.

A journey back to the Renaissance

Deborah Walberg, assistant professor of art and art history, will bring “Painting in 16th-century Venice” back to life during a presentation on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m. in the Warren Student Services Center, room 004, located at Bloomsburg University.

Sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts’ Institute for Culture and Society, this presentation will discuss the factors that distinguish Venetian Renaissance painting from its Tuscan and Roman counterparts. It will go into detail by exploring the structure of Venetian society.

Other topics of discussion will include economic development, the relationship with both the Oriental East and the Transalpine North, and Venetian society’s participation in the draftsmanship against the use of color.

A demonstration of how the artists of the Venetian Renaissance paved the way for the great painters of the Baroque, Romantic and Impressionist Periods will be shown as a part of the discussion.

Career Connections Expo

More than 70 organizations and nationally known employers will be recruiting Bloomsburg University students Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom to fill open job and internship positions. You could be among those who are hired! Graduate schools will also be represented. There are opportunities at the expo for all students.

What can I do at the Expo?

Freshmen — gather info about different careers and explore options for job shadowing

Sophomores — confirm your major by asking questions about careers in your field and explore job shadowing and internship opportunities

Juniors — find internship opportunities and learn more about the skills needed for your career field

Seniors — target organizations you would like to work for and gain info about application/interview process

View the list of organizations and bring resumes for each one you plan to speak with, plus a few extras. Professional attire is required! Pre-register now through Husky Career Link to get an employer contact preview and a personalized name tag.

ICS explores photos documenting poverty

The Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) presents a lecture by Vera Viditz-Ward, professor of art and art history, “Visualizing Poverty: The Photographic Document,” as part of ICS's Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium.

The lecture, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, Room G38, is free and open to the public.

Since the invention of photography in the mid-19th century, many photographs have addressed impoverished people and their environments. Initially, these photographs were intended as moral lessons for viewers, but as public opinion about the causes and effects of poverty have changed, so has the purpose and impact of these photographic documents. This lecture will introduce and explore the work of specific photographers and the motives behind their commitment to documenting poverty from 1840 to the present.

Don't just live the Husky Life ... define it

As the fall semester hits its groove and campus activities are in full swing, so do the opportunities for students to get involved.

With more than 250 student clubs and organizations, there’s a group just for you — ranging from community service, faith, the arts, business, entertainment and athletics. And one of the more active clubs is the Student United Way, which has strong presence on and off campus.

“It's a great way to help others, as well as build personal character and integrity,” said Nazeer Curry, club president, adding joining any club on campus is not only a resume booster but also allows you to become a better person.

CPDCE holds Open House

From in-class presentations to a multitude of resources to support your classes we have services to fit to your specific needs. For your students we have a full complement of offerings from one-to-one counseling to workshops to sharpen their professional acumen. Our staff includes:

Donna Murphy, student engagement assistant - If your student (or student's parent) or you have questions about a CPDCE service, such as Husky Road Trips, upcoming workshops, on-campus recruitment, or even career guidance, Donna is a great first step in liaising you to the right information or person.

Laura McCay Suchanick, organization engagement coordinator - If you or a student are seeking to connect or engage with a specific organization or locate more industry-specific orgs please come by to say hello Laura for more details.

Lauren Kross Polinski, special assistant for Professional U - If you work with an underrepresented student population, such as veterans, students with disabilities, LGBTQ, first generation, etc. or if one of your students identify as such Lauren can speak to you about programming possibilities and specific resources to accommodate you and your students needs. She can also work with you if interested in gap-year experiences such as AmeriCorps.

Christy Stine, data and systems associate - If you have had questions about how to use Husky Career Link to promote opportunities to your students Christy can help set you up in the system and give you a tour.

Robyn A. Defelice, director of internships and career experience - If you, your department, or a student are pursuing applied learning experiences, such as job shadowing, internships, or any other form of experiential learning, whether non-credit or credit I would be happy to discuss your goals with you. In addition, I can also speak with you about traditional and alternative methods for providing instructional materials and learning modules that help to shape students professional and career competencies.

Career Connections Expo

CPDCE will host a Career Connections Expo on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Kehr Union Building with more than 70 organizations coming to campus to connect with students!

a broader understanding of career opportunities,

an opportunity to job shadow,

an internship,

or even their first job there are plenty of possibilities for a professional connection.

Some of the expo attendees will be Crayola, Hershey Entertainment Resorts, PPL, QVC, UPS, and Geisinger Health System.

Make the most of the coast, study at the Chincoteague Bay

Did you know Bloomsburg University is one of the PASSHE universities active at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station? This field station is located at the southern end of Assateague Island, Virginia, and has resources that include college dormitories, access to a wildlife refuge, boats, kayaks, and staff to support group or individual activities. Students might use the field station for club trips as well as student research, scholarship, and creative activities?

Representatives of the Chincoteague Bay Field Station will be on campus today to discuss the many opportunities students have to study and research at the bay. Open meetings will be held from 2 to 3 p.m., Centennial Hall 212, and again from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 in the same room.

Interested in Summer Courses?

Would you like to be an artist in a coastal community for a summer?

Are you thinking of a coastal- or environmental-themed creative work?

Want experience in environmental education?

Want strong experiences in the sciences?

Contact John M. Hranitz, interim director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, at jhranitz@bloomu.edu for details.

Husky Life ... your story begins on campus

Living Learning Communities are a distinctive feature of Bloomsburg University’s campus life. Students share common academic interests, live next to each other in residence halls and participate together in organized activities and take related classes.

And one of those LLCs adds a little extra outdoor adventure to the experience. Along with Quest there are many other LLC’s open to BU students — nine others to be exact.

“Trips range from whitewater rafting to climbing,” said Owen Wickenhiser, Quest’s marketing coordinator. “We also do an extended trip for a couple weeks, like last year on spring break we went to Utah and did stuff like climbing Mount Washington every winter break, run things on weekend and weeknights and everything in-between.”

Victim’s Right Advocate brings story of survival to campus

Bloomsburg University Women’s Resource Center and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion has invited Beverly Gooden, victim’s rights advocate and creator of the viral hashtag #WhyIStayed, to speak to the university community on Monday, October 26, at 6 p.m. in Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium.

Gooden is working to end domestic violence and help those who may be experiencing it. She tells her personal story of leaving abuse, explains the challenges involved, and gives suggestions for helping people who are in abusive relationships. Tonight, she will discuss:

Her experience as a survivor of domestic violence

The myths and misunderstandings of domestic violence

Challenging the question “Why did she/he stay?”

How the current way we interact with survivors of domestic violence is “a house of cards”

CAS features ‘Bullets Over Broadway’

“Bullets Over Broadway,” a musical adaptation of Woody Allen's Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, will take over Mitrani Hall at Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for Performing Arts on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. as part of the Celebrity Artist Series.

Woody Allen is an American actor, writer, director, comedian and playwright, whose career spans more than 50 years. The crime-comedy film "Bullets Over Broadway" was written and directed by Woody Allen in 1994.

“Bullets Over Broadway” is the story of a playwright whose first taste of success comes with the misfortune of mobsters and an overbearing diva as he tries to impress his new showgirl. Time magazine describes this show as “musical theater gold” and the New Yorker says the show is “a fun machine from start to finish.”

ZIPD Conference looks at business’ future

In the face of the future’s many uncertainties, with technology advancing at a rapid rate and the economy evolving with it, how can today’s business professional plan for a successful career?

Futurist and business consultant Garry Golden, who explores and predicts how the possibilities of the future can emerge from the present, delivered the keynote address at Bloomsburg University’s annual Zeigler Institute for Professional Development (ZIPD) Business Conference.

The presentation, “Tapping Your Inner Futurist: Looking at the Future of Business,” took place on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 11 a.m. in Carver Hall's Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Golden discussed how business professionals can make career plans in a changing society and business world, focusing on demographic and technology trends and learning to manage future expectations.

Homelessness forum focuses on return

This year’s housing forum at Bloomsburg University will focus on the challenge surrounding prisoner re-entry into communities after incarceration. The annual forum on homelessness, “The Journey of Returning Citizens,” will be presenting on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kehr Union.

Many speakers will present sessions throughout the day, including two judges who have extensive experience working with people who make up this community, and a recent BU graduate. Weston Brehm ’13 works for the Columbia County Housing Authority. He applied to BU at the age of 28, his newborn daughter the catalyst for change.

“Communities across America can either continue to pay for the incarceration of individuals after the fact," Brehm said. "or they can be proactive, reach out a collective hand and not only help lift someone up, but teach them how to remain standing."

This forum will explore how housing providers and developers, alongside the justice system, are creating new partnerships to help these vulnerable citizens. More than 100 representatives of agencies and organizations are expected to attend.

Live. Learn. Study ... abroad

Olivia Edelman was certain that she wanted to study abroad. Her older sister studied in Barcelona, Spain during her college career, and she was in love with the idea of going to school in the same city.

Edelman visited BU's Office of Global Education as the first step to make her dream happen. What she learned was that a semester in Barcelona was not compatible with the course requirements for her major in English secondary education. Instead, it was suggested she do her semester abroad in Denmark, a country BU had not yet sent any of its students.

“I was inspired to go to a country that, along with many other people, I do not know much about,” said Edelman. “It was the best experience of my lifetime.”

Ready to study in Cameroon and Ethiopia?

An informational session will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 9 p.m. in Bakeless Center 107 to discuss this summer's faculty-led study abroad experience in Cameroon and Ethiopia, Africa, which will be held from May 7 through Jun 5, 2016.

Purple Heart recipient shares story of courage

The word “conquer” has taken on a new meaning for Bryan Anderson, a former U.S. Army sergeant. During his service in the Iraq War, it meant taking down the enemy. After losing both legs and an arm as the Iraq War’s fourth triple amputee from a roadside explosive, what he had to conquer got a bit more personal.

Anderson will detail his story of courage, hope and determination during the presentation, “No Turning Back,” Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Mitrani Hall at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Haas Center for the Arts. The program is sponsored by BU’s Disability Advisory Committee and is open free to the public.

“Bryan's message is one of perseverance and hope,” said Bob Heckrote of BU’s Office of Military Services and Veterans Resources and a member of BU’s Disability Advisory Committee. “His message is pertinent to more people than just military members or individuals who are disabled. It’s a global message to inspire motivation. We hope his message might give people strength to keep fighting or at the least to appreciate what they have in life.”

New session of intramurals is underway! Are you in?

Do you have the drive to win a championship? Here’s your chance to give it your all. Get your teams together and choose from our fall intramural sports that are offered during this session. There are some great options open for everyone to get involved.

Intramural sports provide an opportunity to participate while balancing school work and campus organizations. Registration is quick and easy! Sign your teams up by Tuesday, Oct. 27. Sports include:

Basketball

Volleyball

Extreme Dodgeball

“Once Upon a Time … in Bloom”

Danny Hale, legendary former Huskies football coach, will serve as the parade’s grand marshal. Hale, one of the winningest coaches in Division II, completed his 25th season in coaching and his 20th season at Bloomsburg in 2012. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. in the Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital parking lot along Lightstreet Road. It will continue to College Hill and then to Main and Market streets before concluding at Town Park.

After the parade, alumni are invited to attend the annual Alumni Homecoming Tent Party from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Fenstemaker Alumni House lawn. The celebration will feature a complimentary buffet lunch, children’s games and music by the local band, Totem Pole. Also planned during homecoming weekend are reunions for the Class of 1965 and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. The Andruss Library Archives will feature an exhibit, “I Read it in the Paper: A Century of Front-Page News Coverage from Columbia County.”

FOCUS brings fellowship to Homecoming Weekend

Bloomsburg University’s Office of Minority Affairs will be hosting Martin Harris, Sr., pastor of F.O.C.U.S. Young Adult Ministry at Bethel Deliverance International in Philadelphia for an on-campus church visit on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m. in the KUB Multicultural Center to join its Homecoming celebration. Free breakfast starting at 10:45 a.m. If you would like to take part in the program please contact Marcei Woods at 570-389-4091 for details.

Alumnus shares success story

Greenly earned degrees in physics, architecture, chiropractic and civil engineering and has led a life as a teacher, engineer, doctor of chiropractic, editor and writer. Twenty-five years ago, his career as a freelance writer of non-fiction articles began with a long-running medical column in professional journals. During his writing career, Greenly garnered a number of writing awards, including the Parris Award.

His book, “Eugene Bullard: World’s First Black Fighter Pilot,” is about a hero who fought in World War I. This fast-paced young adult biography tells the story of pioneering black aviator Eugene Bullard from his birth in 1895 to his combat experiences in both World War I and II and, finally, his return to America.

CAC brings Color Run to upper campus

This year’s Color Your World with Hope 5k, hosted by Bloomsburg University’s Colleges Against Chapter, will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11, on upper campus, beginning at noon with registration at 10:30 a.m. The color run is a 5K run for cancer.

“Cancer hits very close to home for me as many of my friends and family have battled through the disease,” said Page Herto, chapter president. “I decided when I became president I wanted to try and do a big event in the fall semester since Relay for Life is in the spring semester. I decided on a color run, because I though the different colors went great with representing the different types of cancer.”

This will be the third annual Color Run. Last year, about $12,000 was raised with close to 700 participants. This year, CAC is hoping to raise more money and have a bigger turn out due to having the 5k on campus.
“It means a lot to me to be a part of a club like this because a few of my family members have been effected by cancer,” Laine said. “To see all these people who want to help out, donate, or just want to be a part of a cause for such a terrible disease is really heart-warming thing.”

Now THIS is an internship

Each semester Bloomsburg University students are offered a chance to see state government work in real-time through an internship where they are placed in one of the state offices to help with research, reporting, speech writing and program design.

This semester, Amber Somershoe is that Husky.

Somershoe, a political science and Russian major with a minor in economics, is participating this fall in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS), a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education sponsored internship program.

“(With my majors and minor) an internship with the state government definitely piqued my interest,” Somershoe said. “However, to be honest my Russian professor, Mykola Polyuha, contacted me while I was in Moscow, Russia, encouraging me to apply for this internship. I am grateful I was pushed in this direction.”

By involving students in the public policy practice, THIS provides an important and enriching academic experience. Students learn the dynamics of state government in new and powerful ways through direct involvement in report and speech writing, research, and program design and evaluation. In turn, policy makers benefit from the fresh points of view of these outstanding students.

Theta Zeta leads a Walk to End Alzheimer’s

Another successful Walk to End Alzheimer’s is in the books with the help of Theta Zeta, Bloomsburg University’s Nursing Honor Society.

The Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, including Bloomsburg, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for millions.

”Our chapter has been around for 10 years and has been active in the walk ever since,” said Carissa Pupo, team captain.

Pupo said Theta Zeta became involved in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, because some faculty members have dealt with Alzheimer’s personally.

“It also provided us with a community service activity for the fall semester, as we are required by Theta Zeta to complete a minimum of two activities per semester,” Pupo said.

Donations for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s are being accepted through Nov. 1 and can go directly to the Theta Zeta team via act.alz.org, selecting Bloomsburg. All proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

Literacy Institute features university trainer

Bloomsburg University’s Department of Teaching and Learning will be holding its second Bloomsburg University Literacy Institute event on Thursday, Oct. 8, highlighted by keynote speaker, Lisa Patrick, a university trainer with The Ohio State University’s Literacy Collaborative in Columbus, Ohio.

She also will be giving two presentations on improving literacy in today’s classrooms.

Patrick is an advocate for students’ literacy rights. She has taught a wide range of students, from three year olds to students pursuing their Masters Degree. Patrick earned her Ph.D. in Literature for Children and Young Adults from OSU and is currently working with administrators, teachers, and students at the elementary school level, providing literacy training and support.

Professional U takes students on the road

A bus of students from different majors including, mass communications and business, made their way to Center City that morning to get an exclusive tour of the Comcast Headquarters. This tour gave the students inside access to Studio C, the Xfinity One TV room, “CIM City” and other working spaces.

While the tour came to a close, the students had a chance to sit and meet with a panel of Comcast professionals. According to Kendyll Galbraith, a junior mass communications major, the group was able to network with a large group of BU alumni and learn about different career paths. This opportunity allowed the students to ask questions about the requirements, culture, and working style that Comcast has to offer.

“The trip to Comcast was great!,” said Devin Taggart, senior mass communications major. “They provided me with a very insightful look into what the world after school looks like.

Other information about internships, resumes and job openings were also asked.

“They gave great advice for how to get your foot in the door and get noticed after you progress into the professional world,” Taggart said.

Two days to focus on “Minding your Mind”

This Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9, the McDowell Institute will be hosting Mental Health Awareness events to include promotion displays outside the KUB and Student Services Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as Pet Therapy at the Student Services Center from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Then also on both days “Minding Your Mind” will be presented, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the KUB Multipurpose A&B. Jaclyn Ricciardi and Kristen Nordeman who are mental health and anti-bullying advocated who will share personal experiences and powerful messages.

Ricciardi has been a mental health and anti- bullying advocate since she was in her early teenage years. She had issues with depression, anxiety, and chronic self-injury starting from when she was six years old. Through her recovery she became the president of a mental health advocacy organization on campus and has organized suicide awareness and mental health awareness concerts.

Nordeman has been working as a youth Support Partner for the past three and a half years, to help youth with mental health disorders. As a young girl Nordeman had come anxiety issues and then she started to develop panic attacks. She began to self harm and suffered suicide ideations. When attending college Nordeman was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She is coping with her illnesses and shares her story to help others that may have the same struggles.

ICS shows documentary on food waste

Did you know that Americans throw nearly 50 percent of our food in the trash? Filmmaker Grant Baldwin explores widespread food waste and what can be done about it in the documentary “Just Eat It: A food waste story.”

The documentary, a continuation of ICS's Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, explores Americans’ obsession with food expiration dates, desire for perfect produce and the resulting waste. The documentary will be offered on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall. It is open to the public free of charge.

The documentary is part of the ICS’s Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, aimed at increasing awareness of this topic and encouraging members of the campus community to become involved in organizing activities during the 2015-2016 academic year. The final film in this fall’s series is “Poor Kids,” which will be screened Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, room G38.

A celebration of diversity and equality

Starting on Monday, Oct. 5, will be the kick off to Pride Week. They will be hosting a fall film series screening of, Lady Valor on Thursday, Oct. 22, starting at 7 p.m. As a part of History Month, there will be a documentary showing, Paragraph 175 on Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. Lastly, a presentation of The Witching Hour on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.

To start off the festivities, the Pride week will have a Potluck in the Multipurpose Room B, located in the Kehr Union Building on campus. If you don’t have an appetite, then put your pride gear on for Spirit Day, all day Tuesday. The week rolling with a game night located in Luzerne followed by a move night at the Greenly Center in town. Free admission for anyone attending the showing of “Sexy Baby”. To wrap up the week, there will be an open mic for fresh talent in the Multicultural Center on Friday night.

Screening of Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Greenly Center. Former U.S. Navy SEAL Christopher Beck embarks on a new mission as Kristin Beck. Kristin's journey in search of the American ideals she protected have a whole new meaning as she lives her life truthfully as a transgender woman.

Screening of Paragraph 175 on Monday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. in Centennial Hall 218 with a discussion led by Lisa M. Stallbaumer-Beishline to follow. The film chronicles the lives of several gay men and one lesbian who were persecuted by the Nazis. The gay men were arrested by the Nazis for the crime of homosexuality under Paragraph 175, the sodomy provision of the German penal code, dating back to 1871.

Hosting the events will be many on campus organizations and resource centers. They include, Bloomsburg University Equality Alliance, LGBTQA Student Services, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Women’ Resource Center. These centers and groups welcome students despite any difference they may feel they have. All events being held are open to any campus members. They hope to help raise awareness of diversity and equality within our community through different events on campus while corresponding with History Month.

Fall concert tickets sale underway!

Bloomsburg Student Concert Committee has booked Rae Sremmurd as this year’s fall concert on Friday, Oct. 30, in Nelson Field House. The show starts at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

The Atlanta based hip-hop artists Rae Sremmurd is composed of two brothers, Khalif “Swae Lee” Brown and Aaquil “Slim Jimmy” Brown, are known for their platinum singles “No Flex Zone” and “No Type."

Both of these hits appeared on the Billboards Top 100. They have appeared on “Wild Out Wednesdays” and “106 and Park on the BET channel. They have also featured in songs with Nicki Minaj and Young Thug in “Throw Sum Mo.” They have been nominated once for the Billboard Music Awards and three times for the BET awards, coming home with a Best Group award.

BU students pre-sale will be one day only on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in KUB 350. Only BU students can purchase tickets on Oct. 6, and the price will be $20 per ticket. Starting Oct. 7, price for BU students will be $25 and public tickets will be $30. All tickets are general admission.

SHARE seeking new mentors

Have good advice? On top of your study skills? Why not SHARE it?

Bloomsburg University’s Center for Leadership and Engagement is looking to add to its SHARE tutoring and mentoring program. According to Alesha Emery, a SHARE program coordinator, the program is open to any major who appreciates assisting youths in achieving their academic goals.

“The support given by students can be academic, social or simply giving life advice,” Emery said. “The SHARE program allows BU students to become involved in the Bloomsburg community, particularly with the local area students. It is very rewarding seeing the positive impact you can make on a child who looks up to you.”

Emery said there are certain education courses that require a certain amount of tutor-like hours. The availability of the program allows the education majors to benefit. Emery also ensures us that, “BU students gain valuable skills in the SHARE program.”

Through the SHARE program, according to Emery, students learn different ways of thinking, how to be a good listener and the ability to be open to new perspectives. Students also use valuable knowledge gained from past personal experiences to help the local students of this community, she added.

“This type of opportunity is a great way to become a role model within the community,” Emery said.

Students see first-hand the impact of audiology profession

Christi Moncavage, clinical supervisor within the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, is helping students prepare for their futures inside and outside the lab. Recently, audiology doctorate students participated in a workshop to create earmold impressions.

These types of earmolds can be used as hearing aids, swim plugs, custom stage monitors and even musicians earplugs, according to Moncavage. The students also had the chance to visit a hearing aid manufacturing company, where they took a tour and followed the process of an earmold turning into a proper hearing aid for patience.

These types of learning experiences with has helped many students gain knowledge, she added.

“I would like other students to know we offer a variety of services to the public,” said Moncavage, adding including speech and language evaluations/therapy, hearing and balance evaluations, central auditory processing and tinnitus evaluations, English as a second language classes, hearing aid fitting/repairs and Interoperative monitoring.

BU’s audiology department has many opportunities to gain hands-on skills and to network with a growing community, according to Moncavage.

Student United Way provides community connection

The United Way agencies that cover Union, Snyder, Columbia, Montour, Lycoming Sullivan counties recently hosted its first United Way Day at Knoebels Grove, thanking its many supporters.

“Our region has had the privilege of strong local United Ways for many years,” Nazeer Curry, president of Bloomsburg University’s Student United Way said. “We all work autonomously on critical issues that face our communities, yet have one mission and that is to positively impact our community.

"We have worked together to create the nation’s only regional Women’s Leadership Council, and we have been meeting regularly for more than 30 years.“

Last year the regional group of United Way agencies raised more than $3.4 million for its communities, according to Curry, adding the agencies helped more than 280,000 people.

“Working together on big issues, makes the regional group successful and necessary for forward movement within our organization and communities,” Curry said. “Facing difficult issues and collaborating with government, business and nonprofit groups alike, we are the community catalyst driving lasting change in our communities.”

Newly minted teacher uses COE foundation for success

A distant job fair journey sparked by a love for NASCAR led this recent Bloomsburg University graduate to his first full-time job, along with a solid foundation of classroom teaching forged by the College of Education.

“All that practice for resume writing, interviews and what I learned in the classroom had boiled down to one week!,” said Nicholas Ciambrone ‘15, a full-time teacher at Piedmont IB Middle School in Charlotte, N.C.

As the spring semester came to a close with May graduation looming, Ciambrone said he decided to branch out to a job fair in Charlotte. Southern charm and the love of racing attracted him to the area. After applying for numerous jobs, Ciambrone said he quickly knew Piedmont middle school was the place for him. Prior to walking the graduation stage on the Quad he had his first full-time job under his belt.

“When you’re a teacher, you become so much more,” said Ciambrone, reflecting on the fact having his own classroom has been a big transition from college life. “I thought to myself, I know Bloomsburg has taught me well, I can do this. And I was right.”

TurboVote gets you ready to vote

Pennsylvania has recently made it easier than ever to register to vote. Because you can now register online with your computer, tablet or smart phone. In addition, students, faculty and staff can benefit from using TurboVote, which makes registration even easier, plus offers a range of other services such as text message and email reminders so that you never miss an important deadline when it comes to voting and elections.

If you are already registered you can use TurboVote just to set up reminders. And you can use it to change your party affiliation, or your address, set up absentee ballot service and more. In much the same way that TurboTax guides you through the process of filing taxes, TurboVote will help you with voter registration and election needs. TurboVote will also send you confirmations so that you know that your information was received.

In Pennsylvania the last day to register for the next election is Monday, Oct. 5. If you wish to register to vote outside of Pennsylvania you can use TurboVote as well. TurboVote at Bloomsburg University is provided by the Civic Engagement Center and is funded by BU’s American Democracy Project. For further information contact Tim Pelton at tpelton@bloomu.edu.

Update on PHEAA Grants status

As we enter a new academic year without an approved state budget, we are aware of the effects this delay will have on students at Bloomsburg University and other universities across the commonwealth, both public and private. The outcome of this impasse that may most affect Bloomsburg University students and their families is that the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) cannot currently provide grants for the 2015-16 academic year.

If you are one of the 2,620 Bloomsburg University students due to receive a PHEAA state grant, this pending postponement of state grant awards may affect your student bill for the fall semester. I assure you, Bloomsburg University students will not be penalized or prevented from registering for the fall 2015 semester because of the budget impasse. PHEAA state grants previously awarded to students will be considered as credit toward the fall 2015 semester billing as it relates to both tuition and textbooks until PHEAA makes the final award determination. The remaining balance, however, must be paid through other grants, loans, family contributions and other sources of funding. The university will not place late fees or holds on accounts due to the funds not being disbursed.

Again, please be assured that this budget impasse will not adversely affect students’ ability to attend Bloomsburg University this fall. If you have questions or concerns about how this might affect you, please contact BU’s Financial Aid Office, 570-389-4279, or email Amanda Kishbaugh, interim director of Financial Aid, akishba2@bloomu.edu.

This lecture-recital will examine issues of exoticism, colonialism and nationalism through an exploration of the Southeast Asian gong-chime ensemble, known as gamelan.

Baldoria is an international prize-winning Filipino pianist and scholar whose repertoire ranges from the traditional classics to Hispanic and Southeast Asian music.

Examples will be provided through live performance and multimedia. This event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts’ Institute for Culture and Society.

Iraq veteran presents award-winning story short stories

A 2014 National Book Award winner and Iraq veteran Phil Klay will read from his collection “Redeployment” as part of Bloomsburg University’s Big Dog Reading Series. The reading will take place downtown in BU’s Greenly Center, 50 E. Main St., on Monday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. The programs in the series are free of charge and open to the public.

A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Klay served as a public affairs officer in Iraq’s Anbar Province from January 2007 to February 2008. Since then, his writings have appeared in publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Granta.

“Redeployment” is a collection of short stories depicting the experiences of several Marines in Iraq, including the heartbreak and adjustments to civilian life, which won the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction. New York Times critic Dexter Filkins said, “‘Redeployment’ is hilarious, biting, whipsawing and sad. It’s the best thing written so far on what the war did to people’s souls.”

Crawl into the weekend with First Friday

Starting the this week, First Friday: Art and Music Crawl will kick off each month with a series of activities and entertainment downtown featuring pop up galleries and live bands.

“First Friday is an event that collaborates local musicians and artists with local businesses in a trendy late night event,” said April Gilliland, manager of the Pump House Bed and Breakfast. “It’s especially good for downtown, since most businesses usually aren’t open at that time of day.”

Bloomsburg University as a role too, according to Gilliland. Art students will showcase their artwork at Ready Go Burrito and the Moonlit Oasis.

“Our overall goal is to continue this event every first Friday of the month, and have it continually grow and expand,” Gilliland said.

ICS lecture discusses poverty, mental illness link

Bloomsburg University's Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) presents a lecture by Todd Hastings, “Poverty, Mental Illness, and Issues in Nursing Education,” as part of ICS's Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium. The lecture, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, Room G38, is free and open to the public.

The lecture by Hastings, assistant professor of nursing, focuses on the challenge faced by public health experts, particularly nurses, concerning what they see is a very strong connection between poverty and mental illness. Hasting’s presentation will examine these issues, and present the findings of his own research on the attitudes of nursing students toward the mentally ill. His findings may help nurse educators modify psychiatric nursing courses to foster improvement in student feelings about the mental health specialty.

The lecture is part of the ICS’s Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, aimed at increasing awareness of this topic and encouraging members of the campus community to become involved in organizing activities during the 2015-16 academic year.

Art instructors explore loneliness

The Greenly Center, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s new downtown facility, will kick off the fall semester with the opening of a group art show featuring works by four university instructors.

The show, “Sorry I Miss You,” will run through Thursday, Oct. 1, in The Gallery at Greenly Center. The gallery is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Ron Lambert, show curator and assistant professor of sculpture at BU, said the works focus on “missed connections, lost history and physical distance.” The artists were each tasked with their personal interpretation of the theme. Tulu Bayer, from Bucknell University, will show two large-format videos, Anna Kell, of Bucknell, will present her paintings on found objects, Anthony Cervino, of Dickinson College, will exhibit mixed media sculpture, and Leah Peterson from Lycoming College will feature her photographs.

Community students to perform for Piano Day

Piano students, their parents and teachers will participate together in a talk, master class, piano tryout and recital for Piano Day on Sunday, Sept. 27, at Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, from 1 to 5 p.m. The next day, guest artist Phoenix Park-Kim, a Korean pianist, will give a free concert performing music by Gershwin, Chopin, Haydn, and Liszt at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hall.

Piano Day student participants get to play on the university’s Steinway Select Concert Grand in the 1800-seat Mitrani Hall. Dr. Park-Kim will give a master class and a talk on the importance of music study.

Participants may also work with Dr. Charisse Baldoria, see the facilities, and interact with the university’s piano majors and minors. A prizewinning pianist, Dr. Baldoria is Piano Day’s founder and the university’s piano professor.

ICS symposium explores poverty in Zambia

Bloomsburg University's Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) presents the documentary “Stealing Africa: How much profit is fair?” by director Christoffer Guldbrandsen. The documentary, a continuation of ICS's Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, focuses on corporate ownership of copper mines in Zambia, where tax avoidance and tax havens keep the poor in an underprivileged state while benefiting the wealthy.

The screening will be held on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. in Hartline Science Center, room G38, is open to the public free of charge.

The documentary is part of the ICS’s Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, aimed at increasing awareness of this topic and encouraging members of the campus community to become involved in organizing activities during the 2015-16 academic year.

Kube’s work questions how identity is placed upon gay men and their reactions to this often socially stigmatized counterculture. He creates work that is, at its core, influenced by his experiences within the gay community, but often speaks in a more universal way as a means to draw comparisons to the rest of society. A reception will follow the presentation, as well as the opportunity to ask the speaker questions.

Speaker Series begins with Sesame Street icon

Featured speakers this fall include legendary Sesame Street actress, an awarding-winning author and an Iraq War veteran who each will bring stories of success, determination and survival.

Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on Sesame Street for more than 40 years, will present, “From the Bronx to Sesame Street,” on Monday, Sept. 21, in Carver Hall’s Gross Auditorium, 7 p.m.. Manzano is a 15-time Emmy award winner and winner of the Association of Hispanic Arts, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education in 2003, and the "Groundbreaking Latina Lifetime Achievement" award from the National Association of Latina Leaders in 2005.

Phil Klay, who once served in Iraq’s Anbar Province as a public affairs officer, will discuss his book, “Redeployment” on Monday, Oct. 5, in the Greenly Center, 7 p.m. as part of the Big Dog Reading Series. Klay is a graduate of Dartmouth. His book won the National Book Award for Fiction, along with many other prestigious awards.

Bryan Anderson, a triple amputee and Purple Heart recipient of the Iraq War, will tell his story of courage, grit and determination on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Mitrani Hall, 7 p.m. Anderson was hit by a road side bombing with the result of loss of both legs and arm. He is one of few amputees to survive his injuries in Iraq.

11 receive emeritus status

A seemingly record number of honorees were granted emeritus status Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the quarterly meeting of Bloomsburg University’s Council of Trustees.

Emeriti who were unable to attend the meeting are Jeannette Keith, history; Jim Hollister, external relations; and Sherri Valencik, provost’s office.
The Trustees approved a resolution for demolition of the University Store Building to make way for a new residence hall, scheduled to open in fall 2017. Site work is scheduled to begin in March 2016, with construction to start the next month. The new facility will feature six floors of residence space, mail services, University Store and two dining venues.

A stellar event comes to campus

A chance for students to explore space and see what lies beyond the clouds is being brought to Bloomsburg University. BU’s department of physics and the department of environmental, geographical, and geological sciences will host an astronomy open house on Monday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 9 p.m. in the main lobby of Hartline Science Center, as well as on the sidewalk between HSC and the Warren Student Services Center.

BU faculty John Huckans, Michael Shepard and Peter Stine will provide a deeper look into astronomy. The event will include a portable planetarium for learning about constellations and the stories they tell. Several 8-inch reflecting telescopes will be set up on the Academic Quad for observing the stars and planets, including the rings of Saturn, mountains and craters on the moon, and other celestial objects.

The event will be held rain or shine, however the telescopes will be set up only if the skies are clear. The open house is free of charge and it is only open to BU students.

Parents and Family Weekend

Beginning with Latino Bingo on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Multicultural Center. Cards are .25 cents each for BU students and family members. There will be $400 in cash prizes, door prizes and complementary snacks. The Evasons Mind Reading Due will be also preforming on Friday at 9 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom. This event is free for BU students and their families and three dollars for all others.

On Saturday, a Karaoke Bar and Casino Night will be held at 8 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom. Free for BU students and their families. Those attending will receive $2500 in play money. There will be prizes at the auction table that you can win with your winnings. Inside Out will be shown in Carver Hall Gross Auditorium at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and again on Sunday, Sept. 20, at noon.

Catholic Campus Ministry will have a special on-campus Mass on Sunday for Parents' and Family Weekend. Mass will take place at 11 a.m. in the KUB Ballroom. Refreshments will be available afterwards in the ballroom lobby. All are welcome to join us.

These events are funded by CGA and Presented by the Program Board, with help from Cultural Affairs, Student Support Service and Multicultural Center.

ICS poverty symposium continues with "Land Rush"

Bloomsburg University's Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) presents the documentary “Land Rush” by directors Hugo Berkeley and Osvalde Lewat. The documentary, a continuation of ICS's focus on poverty, explores issues of inequality, governance and land rights in relation to the domination of large agribusiness at the expense of small farmers in Mali.

The screening, to be held on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in Hartline G38, is open to the public free of charge.

The documentary is part of the ICS’s Bloomsburg Explores poverty symposium, aimed at increasing awareness of this topic and encouraging members of the campus community to become involved in organizing activities during the 2015-16 academic year.

Land Rush — Thursday, Sept. 17, in Hartline G38, 7 p.m.

Stealing Africa — Thursday, Sept. 28, in Hartline G38, 7 p.m.

Just Eat It — Thursday, Oct. 8, in Carver Hall, 7 p.m.

Poor Kids — Thursday, Nov. 5, in Hartline G38, 7 p.m.

Do you know your rights?

Philadelphia police officer Lawrence MacMillan will be on campus Tuesday, Sept. 15, to help students learn more about their rights when it comes to the law, in the classroom and in life. His visit, sponsored by Bloomsburg University’s Multicultural Affairs and Student Support Services, is part of a new program, EMPIRE (Empowering Many People Into Respecting Education).

MacMillan will begin his discussion at 7 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom.

Next in the EMPIRE program will be a discussion on “How to Earn Your Doctorate Degree Before 30!” Contact multicultural affairs at 570-389-4091 for more information.

Remembering 9/11

Three personal perspectives of the impact of Sept. 11, 2001, will be shared during a special event reflecting on today’s anniversary of that tragic day. “Remembering 9/11,” co-sponsored by the Multicultural Center and Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, will be held on Friday, Sept. 11, in the KUB Multicultural Center beginning at 1 p.m. open free to the public and campus community.

Featured speakers will include:

Donald Young, dean of students

Michelle Slusser, academic advisement

Hakeem Thomas, digital forensics major

Each will share their personal stories of that day, and how it impacted their lives and reaction here on campus. Thomas, who was living in Philadelphia at the time, will give his perspective as a 16-year-old.

Blues take campus by storm

One of today’s hottest blues artists, Ana Popovic, will turn up the sounds of funk, rhythm and blues, and other rocking musical styles in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for Performing Arts to open the 2015-16 season of the Celebrity Artist Series. Popovic will perform on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. in Mitrani Hall.

Popovic’s career began with the support of her father, Milton, who introduced her to the world of blues at a young age. Between jam sessions and a large record collection, Popovic fell in love with the sound of the blues.

At BU, the guitarist, who gained the nickname the Serbian Scorcher, will perform with her band, Mo’ Betta Love. As she does in each performance, Popovic will pick up her Fender Telecaster electric slide guitar and rock the audience, proof an artist doesn’t need to be a male or from the South to create authentic blues.

BU students can now order tickets online and give themselves the student discount using BU’s secure Intranet. Students can go to intranet.bloomu.edu where they must log in to gain access to the student discount codes for CAS shows along with other information to facilitate ordering.

Students discover, explore and experience

What did you do over the summer? Hit the beach with friends? Get a taste of the real world with an internship? Travel out of the country?

Ok, not everybody gets a chance to study abroad over the summer but a few Huskies did! They traveled to magnificent places like Morocco, Costa Rica, England, Denmark, and the list goes on and on. This past summer, Bloomsburg University was represented in more than 10 different countries! Lucky for us, these Huskies shared their adventures.

‘Flavors of the World’ come to campus

Under the soundtrack of the Carribbean, taste a variety of food selections across 10 tables representing different cultures on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the Multicultural Center.

Presented by BU’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Developing Ambitious Student Leaders (DASL), the annual Flavors of the World will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring Ewabo playing reggae, calypso and Latin music from all eras. Flavors of the World is free and open to the public.

Art instructors explore loneliness

The Greenly Center, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s new downtown facility, will kick off the fall semester with the opening of a group art show featuring works by four university instructors.

The show, “Sorry I Miss You,” will run through Thursday, Oct. 1, in The Gallery at Greenly Center. The gallery is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Ron Lambert, show curator and assistant professor of sculpture at BU, said the works focus on “missed connections, lost history and physical distance.” The artists were each tasked with their personal interpretation of the theme. Tulu Bayer from Bucknell University will show two large-format videos, Anna Kell of Bucknell will present her paintings on found objects, Anthony Cervino of Dickinson College will exhibit mixed media sculpture, and Leah Peterson from Lycoming College will feature her photographs.

BU ranks among the U.S. News best

Bloomsburg University once again made the list of top universities in the northern region of the country, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of U.S. colleges and universities. In data recently released U.S. News lists BU as number 104 of the Best Regional Universities for the northern region, tied with William Paterson University of New Jersey. Bloomsburg is fifth among institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Best Regional Universities ranks institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate degrees and some master’s programs but few, if any, doctoral degrees. The 620 universities in the category are ranked against their peer group in one of four geographic regions – north, south, midwest and west.

BU’s 80 percent retention rate (percentage of freshmen who return to school) is higher than the retention rate at several institutions that earned higher overall ratings, including Hood College, King’s College, York College, and Shippensburg University. It matches several institutions that earned higher overall ratings, such as Rider, Mount St. Mary’s, Millersville, Robert Morris, Mercyhurst and Gannon universities.

ICS symposium focuses on poverty

Bloomsburg University’s Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) will screen the first of several documentaries on the subject of poverty on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. “Poor Us: An Animated History” by director Ben Lewis, explores the changing world of poverty, and the new poverty related to inequality. The screening is open to the public free of charge.

This animated documentary, told from the perspective of the poor, illustrates how countries in the northern hemisphere forced the southern hemisphere’s nations into poverty, according to Safa Saracoglu, associate professor of history.

The documentary is part of the ICS’s Bloomsburg Explores Poverty symposium, aimed at increasing awareness of this topic and encouraging members of the campus community to become involved in organizing activities during the 2015-16 academic year.

Husky Nation on stage with GMA

You never know where Husky Nation may pop up, especially when it happens to be College Colors Day. This past Friday, it was Good Morning America!

Tom Beaupre‘06, bass player for Florida Georgia Line, sported his Bloomsburg University colors during the band’s several performances as part of GMA’s Summer Concert Series. In this clip (above) of “Round Here,” a good shot of Beaupre can be seen at 3:07. A feature on Beaupre will be among the stories in the upcoming fall issue of Bloomsburg: The University Magazine. An excerpt below:

"He went to Bloomsburg to study business, but switched majors to music, studying jazz, theory and classical guitar. He played open mics. His pop punk group, William West, won BU’s battle of the bands one year. And long before he played Dirt on the country music stage, he played upright bass for Wagner’s Die Meistersingers with the Bloomsburg University-Community Orchestra.

An open mic gave Beaupre the first clue that this could be a career. “We must have been playing the right covers, because the audience kept calling for more. I thought, ‘Yeah, I could do this.’"

Safeguarding athletes’ brains

One of the hot-button topics in athletics today, at the youth, high school, collegiate and professional levels, is the matter of concussions and their affect on the brain. How quickly an athlete returns to competition is unique to each individual. But to accurately know when an athlete is healthy enough to return to competition requires a baseline starting point.

That’s where Bloomsburg University’s new Institute for Concussion Research and Service comes into play. The institute is a collaboration between interdisciplinary faculty and students working to better understand concussions. Under the direction of Joseph Hazzard, assistant professor of exercise science, the institute has two main goals: to give medical professionals a better understanding of concussions, symptoms and their outcomes, and to provide a service to the medical community that will assist them in making better “return-to-play” decisions.

Chemistry assistant professor, mentor earn ACS recognition

A Bloomsburg University faculty member and his Florida State University adviser have won the Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry for their work studying the little-known element californium. Florida State Gregory R. Choppin Professor Thomas Albrecht-Schmitt and his former graduate student Matthew Polinski, now an assistant professor of chemistry at BU, received the award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) in recognition of Polinski’s doctoral dissertation research under Albrecht-Schmitt’s supervision. That thesis work became a major part of a paper Albrecht-Schmitt authored in Nature Chemistry — with Polinski as a co-author — on the element californium.

Californium is a man-made, radioactive element known as Cf on the Periodic Table of Elements. It is also part of what’s called the actinide series, a part of the periodic table where all of the elements are radioactive. It is a wildly unstable element, but Albrecht-Schmitt’s team was able to show that it had very unusual chemistry, marking the beginning of a new type of chemistry not previously observed. They also found it was extremely resistant to radiation damage, which could further research on how to develop materials for storing radioactive elements.

Polinski’s work was a key part of that discovery.

Sabbaticals for 2016-17 approved

The following sabbaticals were recently granted by President David L. Soltz:

New software tool helps syncs up Husky Life

HuskySync, powered by OrgSync, is the the main source of communication for all clubs and organizations. Sign in, browse organizations you are a member of or would like to join, and simply click to join. It’s that easy to stay informed about what’s going on with your clubs and organizations!

Not a member of a club and organization, but still want to know what’s going on around campus — HuskySync can help you with that! Everyone on campus is a member of the Husky Life at BU portal, which is where all non-club and organization communication will appear.

“Husky Sync is a great program to use!," says Natasha Moskowitz, vice president of Chi Theta Pi. "Chi Theta Pi will be using it to keep all our members updated with new information. The master calendar is great for scheduling our weekly chapter meetings and keeping track of who is attending. The mass messaging feature is a good way to keep everyone in the loop about what’s going on. You can also make polls that make voting a lot easier, have discussions, and share pictures or videos. We know this will make management of other activities and events with other chapters easier."

A new academic year begins!

"As we begin a new academic year together, I thank you for your contributions to our safe and welcoming campus, your dedication to educational excellence, your continued support of student success and your ongoing commitment to an atmosphere where diverse ideas are exchanged, valued and respected.

"I look forward to more initiatives in the year ahead, brought to life through the collaboration and teamwork which characterize Bloomsburg University. Please accept my sincere thanks for all that you do and my best wishes for a productive and fulfilling year ahead."

Exercise science major impresses Cornell

As an exercise science major focused on strength and conditioning, Anas Mahmoud wanted to get experience working closely with some of the top of athletes in the country. And he did just that this summer.

“My advisor Dr. (Swapan) Mookerjee told me about the many internship opportunities Bloomsburg University students have in the strength and conditioning field,” Mahmoud said. “The one that stood out to me was Cornell University, because they have multiple nationally ranked athletic teams, such as wrestling and men’s hockey.”

Preparing educators for teaching online

As trends in technology continuously become more advanced, so must a teacher’s education. Bloomsburg University’s new 12-credit online instruction program endorsement, approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in July 2015, establishes credentials for educators who teach kindergarten through 12th-grade students.

Online education may be offered through a cyber school or virtual public school or as part of a school’s hybrid program that combines face-to-face with online instruction, says Raymond Pastore, professor of educational technology. Schools are offering online classes more frequently today to meet students’ unique educational needs in areas such as an advanced placement or foreign languages.

BU’s online instruction program endorsement, the first in the commonwealth for an undergraduate program, is earned through online classes that cover teaching fundamentals, tools for teaching online and curriculum planning, as well as a field experience. The required courses can be applied to requirements for BU’s 18-credit minor in educational technology, Pastore says.

Summer bound, Allentown to Bloomsburg

Among the benefits the Act 101/Equal Opportunity Program provides is the opportunity for selected Bloomsburg University freshmen to get a jump-start on college life prior to the fall semester. As they near the end of their Act 101 summer experience Mia Medina and Francisco Rivera both agree. However, they got their first true taste of BU last year.

They were among a group of rising seniors on campus with the Bloomsburg-Allentown Partnership, an annual two-week residential program designed to excite and prepare high school students for college. Each say the partnership was a big help to them in not only getting focused for college but choosing the right fit.

“Last summer was real nice,” said Rivera, a biology/pre-medicine major. “It introduced us to the professors and others on campus who provide support to the students. It’s been great seeing those same professors and support system in place for us this summer.”

Medina, a criminal justice major, added, “From the first time I stepped foot on campus, it felt like home. I knew I would be comfortable, so seeing what it was like for two weeks made sense. I connected well with everyone last summer. It made my decision easy.”

Partnership provides path to college

A group of rising seniors from the Allentown School District got a sneak peek at college life through the virtual eyes of a Bloomsburg University student, participating in workshops and hands-on learning activities while also living in the dorms. Their campus experience was made possible by the Bloomsburg-Allentown Partnership, an annual two-week residential program designed to excite and prepare high school students for college.

BU students are key components to the partnership serving as program assistants, mentoring the high-schoolers throughout the experience to include their time in the dorms and in between academic activities. The mentors are trained prior to address basic health and safety issues, personal growth and to promote friendship among the entire group.

Jazz Ensemble takes on Europe

Bloomsburg University’s Jazz Ensemble — made up of 25 musicians — is performing at the 49th annual Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland this month. Led by Stephen Clickard, professor of music and director of BU’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, the Jazz Ensemble features students majoring in music and other disciplines.

“I just experienced the best performance of my life at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy,” said Samantha Paszkiel, music education major. “The energy between the band and the audience was awe inspiring. If I could do that every night of my life I would.”

To earn the invitation to perform at the festival, Clickard submitted a 20-minute recording of the group performing.

“When I decided to go back to school, my wildest dreams didn’t include this,” said Debbie Skripkunis, music major. “One word doesn’t began to describe what I felt last night, so I’ll settle for incredible!”

New deans arrive on campus

New deans assumed leadership of two colleges at Bloomsburg University this summer. Robert Aronstam (left) came to campus on July 1 as dean of the College of Science and Technology. Jeffrey Krug (right) became dean of the College of Business on June 1.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Krug and Dr. Aronstam,” said BU President David Soltz. “Their leadership will ensure our graduates are well prepared to enter the workforce or continue their education in graduate programs. I look forward to working with them as part of the academic leadership team.”

A native of State College, Krug came to BU from Loyola University New Orleans, where he held the Jack and Vada Reynolds Chair in International Business and served as associate dean of graduate programs.

“I am truly impressed by the dedication of faculty to their students, the beauty of the campus and the Bloomsburg area,” said Krug. “I see many opportunities for improving program quality, increasing awareness of the BU brand, and elevating the stature of Bloomsburg’s College of Business.”

Aronstam came to BU from Missouri University of Science and Technology where he was professor and chair of the department of biological sciences and director of Missouri S&T cDNA Resource Center, a non-profit service that provides clones of human proteins.

“Bloomsburg University is filled with creative, productive and caring people,” Aronstam said. “Bloomsburg offers a challenging and supportive academic community that values learning, discovery and service, and is vitally concerned with the success of its students, faculty and staff. I am very, very happy to be here, and proud to be a member of this community.”

Computer science program preps student for internship

No need to wait until your senior year to get an internship on your resume, according to Brian Fekete, a computer science major. In fact, he says the earlier the better … even the summer following your sophomore year.

“My goal was to get an internship as early as possible,” said Fekete, who is interning at the Lincoln Financial Group in Greensboro, N.C., as part of its web hosting team. “This opportunity will help me decide on what career path I want to pursue, whether it’s web system administration or software engineering.”

Fekete is assisting LFG’s web team manage its web systems administration using Puppet and Ruby programming languages. Getting a chance to work directly with two different coding programs in a real-world setting, according to Fekete, was not intimidating because of exposure he already received in the classroom.

“BU’s computer science program taught me how to be proficient in more than one language,” Fekete said. “This gave me the ability to learn new languages faster.”

Writing Center opens door to Reading Partners

There’s more to Bloomsburg University’s Writing Center than writing. Its new Reading Partners program is proving just that. Starting this summer the Writing Center expanded its writing assistance to help students learn to work with and better understand reading material. The new program features tutors who help students develop stronger reading comprehension and learn effective reading strategies.

According to Ted Roggenbuck, associate professor of English and director of the Writing Center, the reading program uses two methods that were created by student tutors themselves to improve reading comprehension. These methods rely on simple techniques involving active reading and “They say/ I say” techniques to help students learn to dissect and comprehend what they read without the material being spoon-fed to them by the tutors.

Reading Partners is held in the Writing Center, Bakeless 206, Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Updated hours will be scheduled for the fall. Roggenbuck said students are encouraged to make an appointment. However, walk-ins are always welcome.

EGGS major sees future coming into focus with internship

Haley Giannone has a passion for the environment and loves to get her hands dirty. So, a summer internship with the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation near Wilkes-Barre was too good to be true for this geography and planning major.

“I like hands-on learning,” said Giannone, who is assisting EPCAMR in mine map scanning and with several environmental education programs. “Also, I wanted to gain more experience in the environmental field.”

Among her internship activities have included:

developing educational materials for programs, such as tie dye workshops

working with GIS

helping with stream assessments

monitoring, creating iron oxide pigment products

helping with conferences

“Things I’ve already learned in class I’ve actually used or have come across like my Principles of GIS course and two planning courses,” Giannone said. “So when they talk about certain things at EPCAMR I actually know what they are talking about, or I can give suggestions and participate in the conversation.”

Summer feeding program serves Upward Bounders

Bloomsburg University's TRiO Upward Bound Program — a federally funded program for low income and/or first generation college-bound high school, serving students from Columbia, Northumberland and Schuylkill counties. — provides free meals to eligible students through the U.S.D.A. Summer Food Service Program.

The Summer Food Service Program is designed to provide nutritious meals to eligible students during the summer for those who may not get one because school is not in session. During Upward Bound’s residential, six-week Summer Academy, 27 local high school students are served three meals a day at the Scranton Commons, which is designated as a closed site.

The Summer Academy combines concentrated academic work plus structured and optional recreational activities to help students prepare for college while meeting academic, social or personal needs. During the academic year, TRiO Upward Bound serves 92 participants across eight local high schools including Berwick, Mahanoy, Pottsville, Mount Carmel, North Schuylkill, Milton, Shikellamy, and Shamokin.

TRiO Student Support Services grant refunded

Bloomsburg University's TRiO SSS grant has been refunded for another five-year cycle. TRiO's mission is to contribute to the success of BU students in pursuit of their educational career and life goals. TRiO is committed to increasing retention and graduation through:

personalized supportive, proficient and accessible program services and staff

quality advising, tutoring, teaching and advocacy

acknowledgement and appreciation for individual diversity and resilience

Congratulations Class of 2015!

More than 1,200 students graduated Saturday, May 9, during Bloomsburg University’s spring commencement ceremonies on the Quad.

Ceremonies included 403 graduates from the College of Business and College of Education, 389 graduates from the College of Science and Technology, as well as 440 graduates from the College of Liberal Arts.

Degrees for 113 graduate students and seven doctorate students were conferred on Friday, May 8, during BU’s graduate commencement ceremony at Haas Center for the Arts.

Top Honor Graduates

College of Business: Gregory Harvey, Benton, bachelor of science in business administration/finance with a concentration in personal financial planning and a minor in accounting.

College of Education: Rita Marie Pecora, Sugarloaf, bachelor of science in education in early childhood (PK-4) and a minor in education technology.

College of Science and Technology: Robert L. Riley, Danville, bachelor of science in health physics.

College of Liberal Arts: Rhett C. Baker, Etters, bachelor of arts in history and a secondary education certification in citizenship; Mary Margaret Campbell McCauley, Mount Carmel, dual bachelor of arts in criminal justice and psychology with a concentration in family, children and youth; Kelsey L. Lerman, Langhorne, bachelor of arts in languages and cultures: French and a music education certification K-12; and Bryan Matthew Savini, Langhorne, bachelor of arts in criminal justice with minors in psychology and communication studies.

Pedestrian traffic detoured as Andruss project continues

Work on the north side of Andruss Library will start Monday, July 13, as the next phase of the library addition for the telephone center and University Police moves forward.

The project map shows the north side sidewalk closed and the south side sidewalk reopened to pedestrians. These new pedestrian routes will be in place through Monday, Aug 3.

FBLA group among the nation’s elite

Eight members of Bloomsburg University’s Phi Beta Lambda recently brought home several top five place awards from the Future Business Leaders of America Institute for Leaders and National Leadership Conference in Chicago.

Students attended numerous professional development sessions administered by nationally recognized training consultants, executives, and motivational speakers. Additionally, they competed in those same events at the national level.

At the conference, they were required to take two tests: a computerized test, and a performance portion, where they were required to present a case study provided to them onsite. BU’s FBLA is advised by Todd Shawver, assistant professor of accounting.

FBLA Award Winners

Kara Meyer and Nicole Jubin – second place in Forensic Accounting, fifth place in Accounting Analysis and Decision Making

Brinley Fromm, Jordan Duke and Evan Marx – third place in Economic Analysis and Decision Making

Ryan Kassees, Evan Simpson and Jacob Wilcox – fifth place in Management Analysis and Decision Making

37 students receive Smith Scholarship

Thirty-seven graduates from four Central Pennsylvania area schools have been awarded the Fred G. Smith Scholarship to attend Bloomsburg University during the 2015-16 academic year. A total of nearly $56,000 was awarded.

Smith, who owned and managed Nesbitt’s Cut Rate Drug Store in Shenandoah and Mount Carmel, bequeathed $3 million to the university in 1985. A resident of Shenandoah, Smith’s intention was to help students from his community and the surrounding area afford college. The scholarships have been awarded to nearly 1,000 area high school students for the past 14 years. The fund is administered by Union National Bank of Mount Carmel.

Smith’s will stipulates that the recipients of the scholarship, established in memory of his wife, Marion, must attend Bloomsburg University and be residents of Ashland, Mount Carmel or Shenandoah boroughs or Mount Carmel Township. Students also must be graduates of Mount Carmel, North Schuylkill, Our Lady of Lourdes or Shenandoah Area high school.

A large portion of the awards are renewals, with nine incoming freshman students and four transfer students. Individual awards range from $600 to $1,900.

‘Post Glitter’ next exhibit in Haas Gallery

Photography and digital printing by Bloomsburg University’s newest art and art history faculty member will be on display in the Haas Gallery of Art this summer. A reception for, “Post Glitter,” featuring works by Dave Kube, assistant professor of graphic design, will be held Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The exhibit and reception are open to the public free of charge.

“Recently, there has been an increased focus in uncovering queer aspects of history and reanalyzing the past and present around contemporary queer perspectives,” said Kube. “The imagery in ‘Post Glitter’ acts as a catalyst for renegotiating our understanding of power and knowledge by using iconic images or graphics found from various sources. My goal is to stain notions of history and contemporary culture by re-appropriating the image and the narration that it contains.”

Kube earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of Illinois, Springfield, and a master of fine arts in photography from the Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia. His works have been featured in exhibits in Philadelphia, Chicago, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

Anthropology group inducted into National Honor Society

DeeAnne Wymer and 26 anthropology students were inducted into Lambda Alpha National Collegiate Honor Society in Anthropology, Zeta Chapter of Pennsylvania this spring in the Schwieker Room of Andruss Library. Faith Warner is the advisor for the Bloomsburg University chapter.

Also recognized were graduating seniors and Lacy Marbaker, who was selected as the 2015 Outstanding Senior in Anthropology and Kelly Haggerty, who received the 2015 Wymer-Warner Scholarship in Anthropology. James Brown, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, welcomed new inductees, award winners, and their friends and families to the annual end of the year reception.

Anthropology major wins National Honor Society Scholarship

Lacy Marbaker, a May 2015 graduate with a 4.0 GPA, recently received the XL National Lambda Alpha Scholarship and a Charles R. Jenkins Certificate of Distinguished Achievement from Lambda Alpha National Collegiate Honor Society in anthropology. This highly competitive $5,000 award recognizes the nation’s top graduating senior in anthropology as selected by the national executive committee.

This fall, Marbaker will begin her graduate studies in biomedical anthropology at Binghamton University. In her quest to further knowledge in anthropology, she participated in a fully funded research opportunity through Bloomsburg University’s Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (URSCA) program in the areas of forensic anthropology and forensic taphonomy.

Her study, “The Effects of Susquehanna River Water Pollution on Decomposition of Sus scrofa domesticus: An Application of Forensic Anthropology,” examined the type and rate of decomposing human remains in polluted water against the same effects in purified water. This unique research marks the first scientific study of contaminated water on human remains and has been showcased at numerous conferences such as the PASSHE Undergraduate Anthropology Research Conference.

State System BOG approves new major

The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education has approved Supply Chain Management as a major for Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Business.

The major, focusing on the management process from the creation of a product through it consumption, will be offered for the first time during fall 2015. The program will be directed by John Grandzol, professor of management, along with Christian Grandzol, professor of management; Todd Shawver, assistant professor of accounting; and Ken Hall, assistant professor of marketing.

“We have witnessed tremendous changes in the way organizations conduct business during the last two decades,” said Jeffrey Krug, BU’s dean of the College of Business. “Globalization and technology trends have made organizations more complex, but also opened new opportunities to expand globally. Organizations increasingly need leaders who can manage their entire value chain — from research and development to purchasing to manufacturing to distribution, marketing, and sales.

Board of Governors approves $240 tuition increase

The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education approved a $240 tuition increase Thursday, July 9, for the 2015-16 academic year while pledging to continue to seek additional state funding to support the universities’ operations.

The 14 State System universities have made more than $270 million in combined budget cuts over the last decade, and would need to make about $30 million in additional cuts next year if state funding is not increased. The System has not received a funding increase from the state in seven years and currently is receiving the same level of funding it did in 1997-98 — 17 years ago.

Always an adventure with STEM

It was quite an adventurous week for several area youths exploring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities at Bloomsburg University from geocaching to encoding to an inflation of a cow lung. And that was just in one day.

BU’s Regional STEM Education Center recently hosted 80 campers entering fifth through 10th grade for its Great STEM Adventure Camps where they explored different aspects of the STEM spectrum through presentations, activities and demonstrations.

Explorers (5th to 6th grade) — had hands-on fun with rocks, geography and the environment. Campers learned how to use data loggers to examine chlorophyll and photosynthesis with plants in the field and lab.

Investigators (7th to 8th grade) — used science and math skills to investigate the world from DNA finger printing and brain waves to environmental biology. Campers brushed up on math skills through fun activities.

Innovators (9th to 10th grade) — discovered how to use computers to investigate crimes, create programming and decode encryption. Campers honed their math skills for high school and college as they worked to master the world of technology.

Greenly Center officially dedicated

Duane and Sue Greenly recently joined officials from Bloomsburg University and the BU Foundation to officially dedicate the Greenly Center. The 44,700-square-foot Greenly Center is home to the Bloomsburg University Foundation and also houses a first-floor art gallery, space for the university’s Office of Corporate and Continuing Education staff, classrooms for BU’s mini-courses, a 40-seat computer lab and a demonstration kitchen.

In the future, the third floor may provide space for local businesses or organizations. Future plans also include offering credit-based courses and programs for traditional and non-traditional adult students in the center.

BU President David Soltz said construction of the $8.25 million building, the university’s first permanent presence in the downtown, responds to local residents’ requests for BU to become part of the Town of Bloomsburg’s main business district. The Greenly Center is expected to bring an additional 4,000 to 5,000 visitors downtown annually.

The STEM Magnet Program, founded in 2013, allows high-achieving high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to get a head start on a college career in the STEM disciplines. From the CPWDC grant, an estimated $300 per person will go to cover partial tuition and book costs for up to 60 students, adding up to a total of $18,000.

Another $6,000 will benefit the Summer STEM Teacher Institute for 20 kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. The institute will take place in three parts, with one week spent at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, one week spent at BU, and a field trip to the Whitaker Science Center in Harrisburg. This will be STEM’s first teacher academy.

The rest of the funding will go to the operation and implementation of the Great STEM Adventure Camps, hosted on the Bloomsburg University campus.

Putting the field in Field Geology

To close out the spring semester and transition into the summer session, group of students from Bloomsburg University’s Department of Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences had the educational experience of a lifetime.

EGGS 330 – Special Topics in Field Geology is designed to give students an opportunity to observe a wide variety of earth processes, apply their knowledge, and reinforce skills in geological observation and interpretation. By participating in this intense, immersive, field-based course, students got a first-hand encounter with the geology and environmental issues of Southern California and the western United States.

The first four days of class took place on campus in Bloomsburg, where the 14 students researched two assigned topics and prepared a poster and write-up/hand-out for each. They then headed west on day five, led by faculty Jennifer Whisner, Cynthia Venn and Benjamin Franek.

After flying into Santa Ana, Calif., students and faculty left for 11 days along the coast:

from Long Beach to San Onofre State Beach

east to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in the mountains near Julian

further east to the deserts and oases of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Joshua Tree National Park

the Salton Sea and Imperial Dunes to the south

north to more recent volcanic features at Amboy Crater and the Cima Volcanic Field

and then west to see Rainbow Basin and other geologic wonders before crossing the San Andreas Fault and the San Bernardino Mountains.

Students create web app from scratch

A homegrown interactive application has come to Bloomsburg University’s website, giving real-time readings of electric power usage across lower campus. This new online feature, developed this past spring by a group of computer science majors, has replaced the Lucid Dashboard program on the Solar Energy Educational Kiosk outside of Ben Franklin Hall as one of its four operating programs. In addition, a Live Electric Power meter has been added to the Today page, displaying real-time utility data for lower campus.

“It was gratifying to do something from scratch, especially something for a web interface,” said Collin Shoop ’15, who served as the project lead. “A project like this requires a lot of planning and collaboration. The interdisciplinary experience we gained from this will be very marketable.”

A look at what lies beneath the dig

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site.

The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

"Out in the hot sun, we dig and sift. Occasionally, someone will yell out “bladelet” when they find a small, thin flint blade, still sharp enough to cut your fingers 2,000 years later, and Doc Wymer does her famous bladelet dance," says Keelan McDonald, a mass communications major and anthropology minor, who is among the students blogging about the experience.

Performing arts director honored for service

Randall Presswood, executive director of performing arts and programming at Bloomsburg University, received the annual service award for outstanding contributions to the industry during the Pennsylvania Presenters’ spring arts conference.

Presswood, who has worked at BU for 22 years, received the award in recognition of his volunteer contributions to the Pennsylvania Presenters and to the field as a whole. He also was elected to the organization’s board of directors for the third time.

The annual service award, established in 2009, is given to an individual who exceeds the expectations of his or her employer and the Pennsylvania Presenters organization and includes a piece of art created by a Pennsylvania artist. In recognition of Presswood’s trademark red sneakers, his award is a crimson glass sneaker by Dennis Gardner from the ArtsQuest Glass Studio in Bethlehem.

Great STEM Adventure Camp set for campus

Adventure awaits young science enthusiasts at Bloomsburg University’s summer camp for middle and high school students, specializing in the exploration and understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. The camp will run from June 22 to 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $150 per person. Lunch and snacks are included. Scholarships are available.

The Great STEM Adventure Camps will offer three programs for middle through high school students, focusing on the different aspects of STEM. BU students and faculty members Scott Inch, professor of digital forensics; Cynthia Surmacz, professor of biological and allied health sciences; and Kevin Williams, associate professor of biological and allied health sciences, will lead sessions.

Campers entering fifth and sixth grades will explore the basics of geography and the environment with hands-on learning activities. They will work with the environment around them, both in the lab and field, as well as gain experience using data loggers and other scientific equipment to examine plants and their chlorophyll to learn about photosynthesis.

Campers entering seventh and eighth grades will investigate the human brain and human DNA using mathematics and science skills. Participants will work with fingerprinting and brain wave activity, as well as becoming involved with environmental biology.

Campers entering ninth and 10th grades will use computer and mathematical skills to learn programming, criminal investigation, and how to decrypt code. These activities are designed to hone the campers’ math skills to better prepare them for high school studies.

Campus hosts Virginia Woolf Conference

Nearly 250 scholars will attend the 25th annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf hosted by Bloomsburg University from Thursday through Sunday, June 4 to 7. Following the theme Virginia Woolf and Her Female Contemporaries, the conference will include a number of events open to the public, including:

An international art exhibit at the Greenly Center, 50 E. Main St., displaying about 50 works, opening with a reception Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m. Gallery hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit is open to the public free of charge.

A fiction reading by British novelist Maggie Gee and a poetry reading with Cynthia Hogue Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, East Main and Iron Streets. Open to the public free of charge.

A theatrical reading of “Septimus and Clarissa” by Ellen McLaughin by members of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble and the playwright Friday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St. A Mrs. Dalloway Party, based on one of Virginia Woolf’s best-known novels, will be held at the theatre following the reading. Attendees are invited to wear costumes for the evening’s party. A fee will be charged for the reading and party.

The first international conference held at BU, the event will feature 150 research papers presented by professors and scholars from around the world. Among the scholars attending will be 22 Bloomsburg and Berwick high school students, as well as 30 students from BU. Students from 10 universities from across the country will present research papers on Saturday.

Three plenary dialogues, roundtable discussions, poetry and fiction readings, an art exhibit, and the launch of a new journal, Feminist Modernist Studies, are some of the highlights of the conference. The finale will be a Saturday evening banquet with Cecil Woolf, the nephew of Virginia Woolf and her husband, Leonard. Also attending the banquet will be Jean Moorcroft Wilson, biographer, literary critic and wife of Cecil Woolf.

Woolf inspired exhibit attracts international artists

Thirty-two artists are exhibiting their work in an international art exhibit at Bloomsburg University’s Greenly Center, 50 E. Main St., Bloomsburg. The show of 49 works opens with a reception Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m.

The juried Mark on the Wall exhibit features artists from Lebanon, Turkey and the United Kingdom as well as the United States. The show is being held in conjunction with the 25th annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf hosted by Bloomsburg University Thursday through Sunday, June 4 to 7.

This show of works on paper is a unique addition to the conference this year and will allow gallery goers to appreciate Woolf and her influence from a visual perspective. The call for entries attracted more than 400 submissions that included traditional media, prints, collage, photography and digital art.

Gallery hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit is open to the public free of charge though June 30.

Political Science announces Prateek Goorha award winners

Bloomsburg University’s Department of Political Science has announced the winners of the Prateek Goorha Research Paper Scholarship Award for the 2014-15 academic year. The Prateek Goorha Research Paper Scholarship is a $500 award given to the to the student with the best research paper each semester in Research in Political Science (Polisci 300).

The department faculty judged the instructor-nominated research papers based on the quality of the research method employed, analysis of the results, and student writing.

Jade McClellan won the Prateek Goorha Research Paper Award in Fall 2014 for her research paper entitled, “Party Identification of College Students,” in which she investigated the influences on students’ political party affiliation.

Mark Lingousky was selected to receive the Prateek Goorha Research Paper Award for Spring 2015. His paper was entitled “The Relation Between Guns and Crime: Do Guns Endanger Citizens or Make Them Safer?” Lingousky found no correlation between gun control laws and increased safety of citizens based on a city-level analysis.

This ongoing scholarship is made possible by a generous gift to the Department of Political Science by Prateek Goorha, Ph.D., a former associate professor of political science at BU.

Local art students win BU scholarships

Danville Area High School student Hadley Wiktor won first prize in a portfolio review by faculty from Bloomsburg University’s Department of Art and Art History. As first-place winner, Wiktor received a $1,500 tuition scholarship to BU to major in art.

Other winners in the portfolio review were:

Linda Yang, also of Danville Area High School, second prize, a $1,000 scholarship to study art at BU

Vincent Kuhar, Bloomsburg Area High School, third prize, a $500 tuition scholarship to BU

Receiving honorable mention were Rachel Snyder and Ahlena Davies, both from Danville Area High School; Olivia Greene, Southern Columbia Area High School; and Evie Allport, Bloomsburg Area High School.

Other participants in the portfolio review were Kayley Dillon and Breanna Fowler, both from Bloomsburg Area High School; Lexus Mordan and Briana Wakefield, both from Millville High School; Julia Shipe, Danville Area High School; and Savannah Scherer, Southern Columbia Area High School.

Artwork by all of the participants in the portfolio review will be on display in BU’s Haas Gallery of Art until June 15, and in the Stairwell Gallery of The Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg from June 29 to Aug. 14.

The portfolio review and tuition scholarship program is possible thanks to the generosity of a Bloomsburg community donor who was inspired by First Columbia Bank’s Teen Star Competition.

Huskies shine in Douglass Debate Society competition

Nearly 20 students representing Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Shippensburg competed this past spring in a Douglass Debate Society daylong debate at Bloomsburg University. The society, a component of the Frederick Douglass Institute Collaborative, encourages students to apply critical thinking skills, hone their ability to craft arguments and to consider topics in their full complexity — all key to responsible and engaged citizenship.

Students engaged in policy debate through cross-examination rounds designed to encourage them to consider all sides of an issue, develop their abilities to listen attentively, and reinforce the importance of critical thinking and analysis of arguments and evidence.

Dinah Haywood and Hope Foy, of Millersville University, advanced through the field and were crowned debate champions. BU’s Stefon Brown and Jordan Kennedy finished second. Individual speaker awards were given to Feben Whitaker and David Canady, of East Stroudsburg University.

The award recognizes innovation that promotes significant or meaningful learning by changing the way a lesson, subject or course is traditionally taught. King required students in the special topics course, Health Communication Campaigns, to develop and implement a campaign to reduce underage and dangerous drinking at BU.

For the campaign, “BUResponsibly,” students researched and gathered data about college students’ drinking behaviors and developed, implemented and evaluated a peer-to-peer campaign. King will share her teaching innovation through TALE during the 2015-2016 academic year.

With its award, the chapter receives a $500 scholarship for its members. The chapter was one of two Honorable Mention awardees chosen out of 500-plus collegiate chapters worldwide.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.

Patricia Dórame-Holoviak, faculty advisor, prepared and conducted the ceremony and the reception. Members directed the initiation by lighting the ceremonial candles as they read the contributions of the world languages to universal culture.

Faculty and students from all languages in the Department of Languages and Cultures enjoyed a culinary reception and celebration following the ceremony.

University Police pays homage to National Police Week

Members of the University Police will pay respect to officers who have died in the line of duty with a moment of silence on Friday, May 15, at 10 a.m. in honor of National Police Week. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, D.C. to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital each year.

Works by 13 high school artists on exhibition

Artwork by 13 area high school students will be exhibited in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Gallery of Art from May 13 to June 15. Faculty from BU’s Department of Art and Art History selected the works based on portfolio reviews at the end of the spring semester. Included in the exhibition are works by:

Evie Allport, Kayley Dillon, Breanna Fowler and Vincent Kuhar, all from Bloomsburg Area High School

Lexus Mordan and Briana Wakefield, both from Millville High School

Ahlena Davies, Julia Shipe, Rachel Snyder, Hadley Wiktor and Linda Yang, all from Danville Area High School

Savannah Scherer and Olivia Greene, both from Southern Columbia Area High School

The names of three students selected for tuition scholarship awards to BU will be announced during a reception and ceremony Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m. in the Haas Gallery. This portfolio review and tuition scholarship program is possible thanks to the generosity of a Bloomsburg community donor inspired by First Columbia Bank’s Teen Star Competition. The high school art show will also be displayed in the Stairwell Gallery of The Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg from June 29 to Aug. 14.

Phi Kappa Phi initiates nearly 200 new members

Bloomsburg University’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, the oldest, largest, and most prestigious all-discipline honor society, recently initiated nearly 200 undergraduate students and three graduate students during a ceremony to conclude the academic year.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and was transformed into a national honor society in 1900. Its mission is to recognize and encourage superior scholarship in all fields of study and to engage the community of scholars in service to others. Currently there are approximately 300 chapters of Phi Kappa Phi at colleges and universities throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

BU’s chapter was chartered in 1977, becoming the 202nd chapter of the society.

The mission of Phi Kappa Phi is to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others. To fulfill this mission, BU holds a fall freshmen recognition ceremony, a spring initiation ceremony for student and faculty initiates and award a small scholarship to the top candidate from the university who has applied for the national Graduate Fellowship competition.

NSSLHA celebrates philanthropic efforts

Bloomsburg University's National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) recently celebrated the end of the year and all that it had accomplished. The organization donated more than $5,000 to charities, as well as participated in various community service projects. The certificates the girls were holding in the picture were to acknowledge their involvement in NSSLHA.

The members are required to participate in service projects, fundraisers, or social events to earn Silver or Gold Key Membership through our university. Participating in these events is what makes NSSLHA the successful organization it is, and it helps the students build their resumes for graduate school. There were about 40 students who earned Silver Key Membership, and only two earned Gold because it entails much more. There were about 85 attendees at the banquet, and that includes our department faculty and staff with their families.

Communication Studies professor wins innovation award

Mary King, Communication Studies, has been awarded the 2015 TALE Teaching Innovation Award. Her innovation requires students in her Health Communication Campaigns special topics course to develop and implement a campaign to reduce underage and dangerous drinking at Bloomsburg University. In preparing for the campaign, “BUResponsibly,” students had to research and gather data to learn about college students’ drinking behaviors, develop a “peer-to-peer campaign based on social norms,” and implement and evaluate the campaign. The applied research creates a meaningful learning experience; students witness the impact that their research and campaign has on the lives of Bloomsburg University students.

A teaching innovation promotes significant or meaningful learning by changing the way a lesson, subject, or course is taught. We acknowledge that ingenuity is relative to department culture, disciplinary norms, and each faculty member’s starting point; an innovation may be something new for the instructor, department, or profession. The innovation should be recent. By offering the award competition, we hope to encourage
faculty to take risks in the classroom and promotes the exchange of teaching innovations on campus.

Each student received $250 for books for the fall 2015 semester. The awards were presented by Melissa Cheese, interim director of Act 101/EOP, and Tara Diehl, developmental mathematics instructor. Both students are completing their freshmen year as intended psychology majors and are actively involved in campus student organizations.

An interesting internship with the "Folks"

Typical professional internships may include getting coffee, filing papers and working for free. Rachel Boone’s was not a typical internship. In January, Boone, a senior communications studies major, began her internship at Folks Butterfly Farm, a family-owned business in Nescopeck. The farm is a source for butterfly education and butterfly-related products and provides butterflies for special occasions like weddings or parties.

Boone signed on to help with social media and to network with customers at shows and fairs. That role expanded when she traveled with the Folks to Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania Farm Show. As a BU student, Boone admits one class was especially useful to her during the experience.

“Public speaking helped me so much,” says Boone. “At the farm show, I was talking to anywhere from five to 25 people about the butterflies.” She says the internship was a valuable learning experience, reinforcing her leadership, team-building and communication skills.

Go ahead, make me laugh

In this class it’s okay to laugh out loud at fellow students, even smirk during the lecture. In fact, it’s encouraged … and applauded.

New to Bloomsburg University’s academic catalog this spring, Make Me Laugh, a freshman seminar course that investigates what makes something funny and the role of stand-up comedy has played as a vehicle for social critique and expression.

Designed and taught by Brian Johnson, academic advisor and part-time Act 101/EOP coordinator, Make Me Laugh is an interdisciplinary study of topical content with a liberal arts focus. Freshmen study the writing process, engage in critical reading and are introduced to research strategies and the use of source materials.

“I was really spurred by Jon Stewart’s (Daily Show) ability to articulate the pain and truth associated with the Michael Brown case in Ferguson. He challenged our society’s thinking, while making the audience laugh. That got me to thinking about the power of comedians. I'm amazed at the things comedians are able to talk about without fear. That is worth studying.”

Provost recognized for outstanding service to higher ed

Bloomsburg University’s Provost Ira Blake was recently presented with the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education’s Mary Baltimore Award for outstanding service to the organization. Blake is shown with Irvin Wright, associate dean for academic achievement.

The PA Black Conference on Higher Education first convened in 1971 by the K. Leroy Irvis, Pennsylvania’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, his aid Mary Davis Baltimore, and black educators from across the Commonwealth. Mary Davis Baltimore was the key person in the coordination and planning for the first and subsequent meetings of the new organization.

In recognition of her dedication, an award is given each year by the PA Black Conference on Higher Education to an individual who has demonstrated similar dedication and commitment to achieving the goals of the organization.

TALE honors outstanding teachers

Three Bloomsburg University faculty members have been selected as the Teaching and Learning Enhancement (TALE) Outstanding Teachers for the 2014-2015 academic year. The award is bestowed annually by BU’s TALE center to faculty members nominated by students. This year’s winners are Darrin Kass, professor of management; Shiloh Erdley, assistant professor of sociology, social work and criminal justice; and Mary Katherine Waibel-Duncan, professor of psychology.

Kass will be honored at graduate commencement on Friday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Erdley and Waibel-Duncan will be recognized during the undergraduate commencement ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts on Saturday, May 9, at 3:30 p.m. on the Academic Quadrangle. Each winner will receive a plaque and a $1,000 professional development stipend sponsored by the Bloomsburg University Foundation.

Provost honors faculty excellence

The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Research/Scholarly Activity was established in 2006 to recognize and encourage continuing scholarly achievements of probationary faculty. Each academic dean nominates a faculty member within their college.

In addition to each dean’s nomination letter, annual evaluation materials serve as supporting documentation for consideration by the Academic Affairs Leadership Council. Each award recipient receives a plaque and $1,000 to be used for travel or other faculty development activities. This year’s recipients:

Lam Nguyen, COB, Department of Management and Marketing

Denise Davidson, COE, Department of Teaching and Learning

Michael Borland, COST, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Matthew Slotkin, COLA, Department of Music, Dance and Theatre

Students develop PR plans for United Way agencies

Administrators for 10 local non-profit agencies affiliated with the Berwick Area United Way recently visited the Greenly Center to learn more about public relations, as part of the curriculum enhancement grant administered by the College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Mass Communications.

Ten public relations students, working under the guidance of Kristie Byrum, assistant professor, presented their strategic communications plans to the agencies.

Participating Agencies

Berwick Mural Project

Agape

S.M.I.L.E.

The Women’s Center, Inc.

The Ber-Vaughn pool

Downtown Business, Inc.

For the Cause

Columbia Child Development Center

Your Loving Choices

Columbia County Volunteers in Medicine

Phi Beta Lambda among the state's best

Bloomsburg University’s Phi Beta Lambda, an educational association of studens preparing for careers in business, recently competed well at the Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference, where 18 members competed in a number of events and attended several professional development sessions. The future business leaders won a number of events and placed high in several others, competing against more than 25 schools from across the state such as Penn State University, Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh.

State Competition Winners

First Place – Accounting Analysis and Decision Making: Nicole Jubin and Kara Meyer

Third Place – Marketing Analysis and Decision Making: Courtney Kane and Jacob Wilcox

Nine students qualified to compete this summer at the Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference in Chicago. In addition, BU’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda received a second place Gold Seal Award of Merit. This award is given to the chapters that most fulfill the three pillars of Education, Service and Progress. To cap the successful conference, Todd Shawver was named the 2015 Pennsylvania Phi Beta Lambda Advisor of the Year.

Don’t stress the test

Classes can be stressful, especially at the end of a semester. Great timing for finals, huh? As a sophomore now I feel better knowing more through experience how to conquer the stress of tests … well that’s what I think. When it comes down to it I do the same thing every time. I procrastinate.

Procrastination is the worst enemy to any student. We all do it, because we know that once we start studying there are two options … we understand the concept and pass the test or we FREAK OUT because we have NO CLUE what is going on and have a MENTAL BREAK DOWN and nothing good comes out of it. Let me be the first to say don’t freak out!

We all have to go through the same thing. So first step, get a buddy to study with and things will run a lot smoother, they will be able to explain to you what you don’t understand and you could do the same for them. The second step is finding a place to study… either the library, Monty’s, JKA, or your bed. But sometimes you need a different place, a new atmosphere to get the ball rolling. Some spots that you would never think of is going to include Dunkin Donuts on Route 11, Flog and Flame on Main Street and Panera Bread by Wal-Mart. This will give you new scenery to look at and maybe get more work done.

The last thing to do is to actually study. You need to make sure no distractions are around. So if you are easily distracted don’t go out side, because you might see a butterfly and go… “Oh look there’s a butterfly.” Turn off your phone or put it on silent and make sure all social media is disconnected from its notifications. Make sure you are comfortable in your environment and get going. Now, go out and conquer the stress of the test!

— Samantha Gross, telecommunications major

GSM honors its soon-to-be graduates

Gender Studies Minor (GSM) held its Spring 2015 Graduation Reception on Friday, April 24 to celebrate the graduations of six students minoring in Gender Studies:

Sarah Beam, anthropology

Jessica Buzink, history

Abigail Demcher, communication studies

Albra Wheeler, communication studies

Thae Mae Jorbina, psychology

Bryan Molk, Anthropology

Also at the reception, Julieann Gusick, English, was awarded a book as prize for winning the 2014-15 GSM Essay Competition.

The TALE of the tape

For Lauren Mackenzie, going that extra step to help students achieve success outside of the classroom is one of the greatest aspects of being an educator.

And among her latest teaching tools were honed this past winter break via the Bloomsburg University Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center’s Teaching Excellence Academy (TEA), which continues to motivate her to establish significant learning experiences for her students.

“Ever since I started working with TEA, my vision has been to incorporate ideas and activities into the classroom that students will utilize in future internships, work experiences, or while studying abroad,” said Mackenzie, assistant professor of communication studies. “I hope by combining my experiences as well as the insights of my international students from Denmark and France, I will be able to reinforce core concepts that will create significant learning opportunities for students.”

COLA Research and Creative Projects Day

Student scholars from the College of Liberal Arts recently presented their work at Research and Creative Projects Day. Posters were on display throughout McCormick Center from various humanities, social sciences and arts disciplines. One-hour poster sessions were held, as well as students conducted oral presentations and performances.

Concurrently the Art and Art History Department held their annual Art History Symposium starting in Centennial Hall. Five students presented research about World War I. The symposium was part of the Institute for Culture and Society Great War Lecture Series.

The day concluded with a lecture at from George A. Reisch, Series Editor of Popular Culture and Philosophy in McCormick Center. His presentation is titled “Teacher, Savior, Philosopher, Spy? On Philosophy and Popular Culture.”

COST Honors Symposium

Bloomsburg University's College of Science and Technology recently held its Honors Symposium, where it recognized six students who will be graduating Summa Cum Laude this spring, 31 graduating Magna Cum Laude and 74 graduating Cum Laude.

Nine honored with Alumni Awards

James Cole, professor emeritus of Bloomsburg University’s Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, was named an honorary alumnus during an Alumni Awards dinner on Saturday, April 25. Eight graduates were recognized for significant contributions to their professions or the university.

Cole, of Bloomsburg, began his tenure at BU as an associate professor of biological sciences in 1968, retiring after 33 years. He was instrumental in expanding the Department of Biological Services to include Allied Health Sciences. He also served the community as a member of the board of directors for Columbia/Montour Home Health for 32 years, holding positions as president and treasurer.

Alumni Honorees

Distinguished Service: John Chapin ’85, Aliquippa, professor of communications at Penn State University and a professional and personal advocate for victims of domestic violence. He serves as president of the board of directors of the Women’s Center of Beaver County and as a volunteer at Allegheny County’s Crisis Center North, Pittsburgh.

Distinguished Service: Gary Williams ’78, Kissimmee, Fla., a retired special agent for the State of California and recipient of numerous awards and commendations for fighting gang violence during his 28-year career in law enforcement. He was the lead agent and instructor contracted by the U.S. Department of State for training police, prison staff and federal prosecutors.

Maroon and Gold Excellence Award: Greg Bowden ’01, Collegeville, a financial adviser and vice president of wealth management for UBS Financial Services. A past president of the BU Alumni Association Board of Directors, he is an active volunteer and advocate for the university and his Greek community, Alpha Chi Rho.

Maroon and Gold Excellence Award: Craig Evans ’03, Abington, a certified public accountant and manager of audit and accounting at Kreischer Miller, Horsham. He is an active volunteer and advocate for the university.

William T. Derricott Volunteer of the Year: Ted Hodgins ’89, Schwenksville, senior director of customer experience for Comcast. A BU Alumni Association Board member since 2009, Hodgins has volunteered in numerous capacities in support of the university and alumni association in the past year.

Student help AGAPE through clothing drive

Students collected more than 60 bags of clothes, totaling more than 700 pounds to help serve clients at AGAPE's free monthly clothing giveaway. Assisting the clothing collection were Greek Life, Club Golf Team and the Hazelton Area High School.

AGAPE is a non-denominational, faith-based mission to serve the people in our area. Our goal is to “fill in the gaps” which currently exist between people in need, and the community services available to assist them. We refuse to allow good people to fall through cracks in the systems that were designed to help them.

Alumna honored for dedication to education

Bonnie L. Tyler (Hoffman) graduated from Bloomsburg State College in 1963. For most of her career she has taught in 12-month environments and worked with student populations with extremely challenging circumstances and from diverse populations.

Tyler has never lost her faith in public education and individual students. We appreciate her service to her community and especially to the students she taught throughout her long and distinguished career.

New parking enforcement

Bloomsburg Town Police will enforce parking regulations on both sides of Second Street, beginning Tuesday, May 5. The change means that any driver who parks a vehicle illegally along Second Street will pay fines to Town Police, rather than Bloomsburg University Police. This change will not affect faculty and staff with university hangtags or motorcyclists who park legally in marked spaces along Second Street. The green lined areas will continue to be used for university service vehicles.

ACM students take second in Edinboro Programming Contest

Computer Science senior Landan Cheruka and sophomores Brian Fekete and Daniel Pany took second place among seventeen teams, solving four problems in the Collegiate Programming Contest of the PACISE 30th Annual Conference.

Seniors Jared Hallick and Aleks Hartzler also competed, along with teams from seven of the thirteen PASSHE schools. Team members are part of the programming-contest group in the Bloomsburg Student Chapter of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery).

Student journalists win NBS competition

Bloomsburg University’s National Broadcasting Society received first place, for the second year in a row, at the recent National Broadcasting Society Convention in Atlanta. Both years BU’s NBS has submitted for the On the Spot Competition for the Promo category, and both years they have come out on top.

The NBS Convention is a yearly conference where students from across the nation come together and meet professionals in the field, make contacts, hand out resumes, and learn from others.

Calling all student performers

Are you talented and want to earn some extra money? Program Board is looking for performers. Bloomsburg University has been known to host many open mic nights. Program Board use to hire outside performers to campus, but they were very expensive and did not bring out a large crowd.

“I get the best attendance to open mics that take place outside," Aisha Bucanelli said. “So building off of this, I thought that it would be a good idea to create an event that was a more interactive performance, that showcased the talented students we have here at Bloom.”

Because this is a new event there are only some dates set aside for next semester. Students will perform around campus, performances range from music, magic, comedy, poetry, or dance. This is a paid job throughout the fall 2015 semester.

Social Work leadership capstone

Social Work Leadership Day took place again this year in April with the help of the Quest crew and 27 enthusiastic social work seniors. Leadership skills and practices are infused in the internship seminar curriculum to promote sustainability and success in the field.

The students end their college career by engaging in team experiential activities to further enhance their understanding of leadership and to reflect upon all that they have accomplished at Bloomsburg University.

Go ahead, make me laugh

In this class it’s okay to laugh out loud at fellow students, even smirk during the lecture. In fact, it’s encouraged … and applauded. New to Bloomsburg University’s academic catalog this spring, Make Me Laugh, a freshman seminar course that investigates what makes something funny and the role of stand-up comedy has played as a vehicle for social critique and expression.

Designed and taught by Brian Johnson, academic advisor and part-time Act 101/EOP coordinator, Make Me Laugh is an interdisciplinary study of topical content with a liberal arts focus. Freshmen study the writing process, engage in critical reading and are introduced to research strategies and the use of source materials.

Gospel Choir ready to host annual Gospelrama

For Phillip C. Hall III, being actively involved in Bloomsburg University’s Gospel Choir has provided him with a sense of aesthetic pleasure, entertainment and religious practice. With a campus club that blends both his love for music and religion, joining the Gospel Choir was a simple decision for him.

“When I finally gave into joining the choir here at school, I began to feel whole again,” said Hall, adding that not only did the choir help push his mental and physical drive, it also pushed him academically. “Once I became more actively involved, I was able to focus more on my school work and bring my grades up drastically. I wasn’t spending time trying to figure out who I was, and instead stopped fighting the call God had on my life to ministry.”

Hall and his fellow choir members will be center stage on Friday, May 1, when the Gospel Choir holds its annual Gospelrama in Carver Hall’s Gross Auditorium at 6 p.m. The concert is open free to the public.

Anthropology field goes on full display

Yes, there’s more to anthropology than excavating an archaeological dig. In fact, there are some interesting disciplines like cultural anthropology, language anthropology and even biological anthropology. Each of these were on display this weekend at the 2015 PASSHE Anthropology Research Conference, hosted by Bloomsburg University this year.

More than 45 research projects were presented, discussed and on display. Topics included gender equality, perceptions of coal, generational differences on art and technology, as well as cyberethnography. Among the future anthropologists representing BU was Jasmin Velez, a senior presenting her Cultural Anthropology research.

“I wanted to identify why people drink coffee, including the idea of coffee drinkers having certain characteristics traits that make them predisposed to enjoy and drink more coffee,” Velez said. “I also explored whether avid coffee drinkers cared about the source of where they got their coffee from, including Fair Trade concerns, or if overall they just wanted their coffee.”

Velez plans to continue this undergraduate research in graduate school. Lacy Marbaker, a senior anthropology major, will join Velez in representing BU at the state conference. She researched “Methodological Challenges in Forensic Anthropology: Water Pollution, Decomposition, and Post-Mortem Interval.”

“The research focuses on the challenges currently presented in the field of Forensic Anthropology in water studies,” Marbaker said. “… such as adequate test subjects, assessing the levels of water contamination, testing containment, issues with the by-products of decomposition, contamination of other variables, and proper biohazard disposal after the experimental research.”

Prominent anthropologist headlines state conference on campus

Prominent anthropologist Paul Stoller, with more than 30 years of field research experience, will serve as the keynote of this year’s Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Anthropology Conference at Bloomsburg University, which will feature undergraduate research on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, from across the state system.

Stoller, professor of anthropology at West Chester University, will present “Storytelling, Religion, and the Contours of Well-Being” on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in McCormick Center 1303. Stoller’s lecture will evoke the question of possibility. “Is this possible?” is a fundamentally existing question asked throughout the presentation, providing framework for a wide-ranging and narratively contoured discussion of ethics, embodiment, epistemology, religion, storytelling, the future, and our never-ending quest for well-being in the world. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Stoller’s extensive record of research has led him to read and think deeply about the anthropology of religion, visual anthropology, the anthropology of senses, and economic anthropology. In his most recent work, he has focused on the dynamics of wellbeing in the world. His work has resulted in the publication of 11 books, including ethnographies, biographies, memoirs as well as novels.

Putting the "suspense" in training

Whether you’re looking for a way to get in shape, something fun to do in your spare time, or just a release from all the stress of your busy college schedule, you can find it at Bloomsburg University’s Student Recreation Center.

You can run on the indoor track or in the cardio room, lift weights, climb the rock wall, play a pickup game of basketball or racquetball, and more. If you’re looking for something a little different, however, the recreation center also offers free fitness classes and personal training for all students.

One exercise science major is offering a unique personal training experience that uses only one simple piece of equipment. The training Adam Pyle offers is called TRX Suspension Training, and it’s much different than traditional weight training with dumbbells.

Tourism ... destroying the world or saving it?

Members of the Bloomsburg community will get the chance to learn whether the tourism industry is destroying the world or saving it, thanks to a documentary being screened by Bloomsburg University’s Green Campus Initiative. The film, “Gringo Trails,” will be shown on Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. in BU’s Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. The screening will be free and open to the public.

Described as “required viewing for all thoughtful travelers” by Conde Nast Traveler magazine, the film shows the environmental, cultural and economic impacts of expanding travel into the most remote parts of the world. The stories told reveal the effects of ever-increasing, unplanned and mismanaged growth in tourism in destinations that include the Bolivian jungle, the party beaches of Thailand, the deserts of Timbuktu, and many other locations.

NBS hosts alumni round table

Bloomsburg University's National Broadcasting Society held their annual alumni round table discussion on Friday, April 17, featuring alumni from the Department of Mass Communications who came to talk about their jobs in the media business and what current students can do to help their future career.

Featured Alumni

Nicole Fountain, senior manager of public relations and communications at Metlife Stadium

Renaissance Jamboree

Rain for shine, the 37th annual Renaissance Jamboree is set for Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., downtown Bloomsburg, featuring non-profit organizations, food, games and information booths. In addition, there will be arts and crafts along with scheduled musical and children’s entertainment. There is free admission and parking, as well as a free shuttle bus from the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.

In addition, there will be strolling performances by Rob Smith, Olaf, Doc McStuffin’s, and Leo Schott on Bagpipes. BTE will be performing their theatre in the classroom show (William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at 2 p.m. at Box of Light in Phillips Emporium. The show is free.

Pony Party Paradise will be offering pony rides for a nominal charge on Market Street north of the Fountain. Backyard Bouncin’ will be offering two inflatable rides for a nominal charge at Main and West streets.

Research and Creative Projects Day

Student scholars from the College of Liberal Arts will present their work Friday, April 24 at Research and Creative Projects Day. Posters will be on display throughout McCormick Center for Human Services from various humanities, social sciences and arts disciplines. One-hour poster sessions will start at 11 am and 2 pm. Students will conduct oral presentations and performances starting at noon.

The Jazz Band will play live music 3:15 pm near the Quad at the University Wall of Distinction.

Art Professor Ron Lambert and the seven students in his Time Sculpture class will start an interactive art sculpture, made of precut 2-inch by 4-inch wooden boards, connecting them together with zip ties. The art will be placed outside McCormick Hall Friday morning and the community is encouraged to participate throughout the day by adding more wooden boards to the original structure.

Concurrently the Art and Art History Department will hold their annual Art History Symposium starting at 11 am in Centennial Hall Room 239. Five students will present research about World War I. The symposium is part of the Institute for Culture and Society Great War Lecture Series. The Senior Exit Show will also be open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Haas Gallery of Art. The show runs through Saturday, May 9.

The day will conclude with a lecture at 4:15 p.m. from George A. Reisch, Series Editor of Popular Culture and Philosophy in McCormick 1303. His presentation is titled “Teacher, Savior, Philosopher, Spy? On Philosophy and Popular Culture.”

Bioethics expert to speak at Health Sciences Symposium

The subject of endless debates, both religious and scientific, the act of dying is changing — medically, that is. F. Daniel Davis, director of bioethics at the Geisinger Health System, will address current issues surrounding this change during his keynote address, “Dying and Death: They Ain’t What They Used to Be,” as part of Bloomsburg University’s 24th annual Health Sciences Symposium and Wellness Fair. The event will take place on Thursday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

During his lecture Davis will focus on end-of-life treatment and current definitions of dying, focusing on the radical transformation of medical processes that began in the 1950s, such as life-sustaining technology. He will identify the benefits, consequences and controversies associated with this new technology.

ICS series concludes with student colloquium

Bloomsburg University’s Institute for Culture and Society, Great War Series, concludes with “The Great War and Modernism in the Visual Arts: A Student Colloquium.”

Art history students will present research projects with Nogin Chung, associate professor of art history, as moderator. The event will be held on Friday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

Chung specializes in modern and contemporary art and focuses her research on posthumanism, public art and American popular culture. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Seoul (South Korea) National University and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Chung’s recent publications are “Passability and Impassability of Two Gates” and “Infinite Reduplication.” At BU, she teaches History of Modern Art and History of Graphic Design. This colloquium is free and open to the public.

Campus turns "50 Shades of Green"

For many, climate change seems like a remote problem, but the reality is that it’s already affecting people, animals and places across the globe. A change needs to be made. Earth Day provides an opportunity to focus on strategies for living more sustainably. In recognition of the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day, Bloomsburg University invites students, faculty, staff, and the community to create awareness about sustainability matters through eco-friendly activities on Wednesday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the KUB Ballroom.

Participants are encouraged to assist in turning the campus 50 shades of green on April 22 by wearing their favorite shade of green. During the event participants can engage in free Earth Day activities such as a scavenger hunt, human Zorb bowling, and recyclable basketball, DIY green crafts table including tie-dye, a recycling extravaganza, and a carbon sock display. There will also be snacks and giveaways for attendees.

Earth Day at Bloomsburg University is sponsored by the Green Campus Initiative and coordinated by the Communication Studies Leadership and Event Planning classes.

Get ready …. Get set …. CATCH

Bloomsburg University’s College of Education, in collaboration with the McDowell Institute and Alumni and Professional Engagement, implemented an interactive professional development event to provide teacher candidates with a snapshot of the latest trends and insight on how to begin their journey in a positive direction.

Students present Honors Independent Study projects

Honors students take two three-credit independent study courses where they work with a faculty mentor to complete a year-long research project. The final piece of their assessment is a 30-minute oral presentation along with a written research paper, which is open for submission for publication. Presentations will be held in the Honors classroom in Luzerne Hall, Room B-9. All are open to the campus community.

Monday, April 20

2 p.m. – Bryce Foster, The Differences in Foraging Behavior and Predation of Small Mammals in Human Populated Environments Compared to Wilderness Environments with Marianna Wood

BU welcomes award-winning Cuban poet

Bloomsburg University will celebrate international poetry and culture on Monday and Tuesday, April 20 and 21, with the help of Cuban poet, Carlos Pintado. On Monday, April 20, Pintado will host an International Poetry Day event at 7:30 p.m.; on Tuesday, April 21, a symposium will be held on Cuba, the French and Spanish Caribbean, and the Hispanic World. All events will take place in Kehr Union, Multicultural Center.

In conjunction with Pintado’s Monday presentation, students and guests may read their poetry or a piece by their favorite author in English or another language. On Tuesday, the symposium will meet in two sessions: 8:45 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Audiences will have the opportunity to take part in discussions, watch documentaries and films on each of the cultures and participate in a creative writing workshop with Pintado at 11:30 a.m.

Pintado immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s. Poet Richard Blanco said, “The urgency and presence in Pintado’s poems feel as if the poet’s very life depended on writing them. They are possessed by a unique, intangible quality that arrests the reader and commands attention.”

BU will defer per-credit tuition pricing

We are encouraged by the renewed commitment to higher education funding from Governor Tom Wolf. It is refreshing to be part of a discussion that may bring a level of funding Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education has not experienced in many years.

In conjunction with the State System Board of Governors' vote to freeze tuition for 2015-16, Bloomsburg University will defer our per-credit tuition pricing pilot for the coming year. As the governor's proposed budget makes it through the state legislature, we remain committed to providing our students with a high-quality, affordable education and the support services that will facilitate timely graduation.

Is the Legal Studies Association in your future?

It’s back! After a brief hiatus, Bloomsburg University’s Legal Studies Association will be revived for the 2015-16 academic year. No need to wait, learn more about how you can take advantage of this student group on Tuesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. in Bakeless Center 105.

BU’s Legal Studies Association is a student organization that focuses on issues and topics related to the law and furthering an education in law. Starting this fall, iIt will host:

practice Law School Admission Tests

trips to regional law schools

speakers who will discuss law school and contemporary legal issues in society

The LSA will also seek to promote campus-wide awareness of legal issues.

Local cub scouts get inside look at audiology

Bloomsburg University’s Doctorate of Audiology program recently hosted local Cub Scout Pack 24 from St. Columba Catholic Church for a disabilities awareness event, where graduate students taught the cub scouts about what an audiologist is and does, hearing loss, hearing aids, healthy hearing habits, and balance.

The students used ear plugs to simulate a hearing loss, let the scouts listen to different hearing aids, and experience several balance assessments including the rotational chair. In addition, the scouts also learned how to test each other's hearing using the portable audiometers.

Lambda Chi Alpha returns to campus

For 106 years, Lambda Chi Alpha has strived to make a positive impact on university campuses and in the communities that surround them. Today, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, is one of the largest fraternal organizations in North America with more than 290,000 members. They also have roughly 200 active chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America. Lambda Chi Alpha was the first fraternity to eliminate pledging in the early 1970s, and remains as one of the most progressive in the North-American Interfraternity Conference to address challenges facing today’s collegiate student.

Lambda Chi Alpha was originally installed at Bloomsburg University in 1972 and was deemed inactive by the fraternity's Board of Directors in 1990. During their time on campus, Lambda Chi Alpha initiated 494 men into their bond. If you are interested in finding out more information about this exciting opportunity, please email Erik Silvola at esilvola@lambdachi.org.

If you see the men of Lambda Chi Alpha walking around campus, please give them a big welcome home to Bloomsburg University. Greek Life looks forward to years of positive interaction with their staff, alumni and members.

SCEC bowls a "perfect day" with Special Olympics athletes

Bloomsburg University’s Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) recently teamed up with the local Special Olympics athletes for a day of bowling fun at Midway Lanes in Danville. SCEC’s Peer Mentor Program Chair, Dana Gambale was in charge of hosting and making the event possible in collaboration with Special Olympics coordinator, John Bressler.

A total of 53 participants took part in the event along with several others who showed up for support. The athletes and members of SCEC had a great time hanging with familiar faces, bowling a game or two, and enjoying pizza and refreshments from Bloomsburg’s local pizzeria, O.I.P.

“It was nice to see the athletes having such a good time with their friends and members of the club who they are used to working with on a daily basis,” explained SCEC’s Dana Gambale. “It really gave everybody the opportunity to come together and enjoy themselves and even build new friendships with some new faces. The event seemed to be so successful the first time that I am definitely trying to organize this again sometime in the future.”

SCORE one for educational leadership

While working closely with outside agencies, Bloomsburg University educational leadership graduate students and participating local high school counselors were given an opportunity through the 2015 SCORE Conference to connect with high school students and gain real-life, hands-on experience in dealing with teen issues that can impact learning.

SCORE (Self-esteem, Communication, ♂ & ♀, (gender signs), Respect, and Equality) has a mission to raise awareness and create open communication between high school students on various topics related to many teen issues today involving their emotional, physical, and mental well-being. This year, the SCORE conference invited more than 100 regional high school students from five local schools ranging from freshman to seniors to campus, providing BU graduate students with practical experience interacting closely with teens, giving them a proper preview of their future careers in education.

For Shelby Crawford, blended counselor and outreach coordinator at Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School, her second year assisting in the SCORE conference offered her another chance to aid young students in need. By leading small group discussions and activities with the participating teens assisted by graduate students, Crawford along with several other local school counselors were able to create a fun and comfortable atmosphere for the high school students.

Become a global citizen as a Model student

To be a global citizen you have to be aware of respecting others cultures, religion and beliefs. That is what Kate Seravalle does in Bloomsburg University’s Model Arab League.

“It’s good to be aware of global issues that are happening around us,” said Seravalle, senior speech-language pathology/audiology major and Middle East studies minor. “It inhibits us from jumping to conclusions about people. It makes you want to be proactive and a better person.”

Seravalle explains that being in the Model United Nations, Arab League, or European Union makes you a multifaceted person. It not only helps you become more involved in world news, but it also adds a bit more to your resume that not every student has, she says. “Being in Model Arab League it has helped me meet a lot of unique and intriguing people,” Seravalle said. “I was intimidated to join at first because there were many international students involved, but they became my good friends.”

A "bona fide revival" comes to campus

Referred to as a “bona fide revival,” Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem will close Bloomsburg University’s Celebrity Artist Series season by recovering 200 years of American music. Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem will perform on Friday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets are $25 for adults and $12 for children and BU students.

Characterized by four-part harmonies and string instrumentals, Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem recycle music from the past by combining blues, jazz, gospel and American compositions. The band’s 2010 album, “Ranky Tanky,” won awards from the Parent’s Choice Foundation, National Association of Parenting Publications and the American Library Association.

The group specializes in adult and family shows, and has toured the U.S. and Canada. Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem coax audiences of all ages to join the experience, bridging the gap between performer and listener.

Andruss Library, Husky Lounge projects underway

Contractors will be working the Andruss Library site Monday, March 30, to start setting up fencing for the library addition. There will be changes to the pedestrian and vehicular routes in and around this area, which will be on the East (Swisher Parking Lot) side of the building.

The entrance to the Swisher Parking Lot will only be accessed and exited at the Northeast corner near the Buckingham Maintenance Center during the First Phase of construction which will last most of the summer. The Waller East Parking Lot (between Waller and Buckalew Place) will be kept in operation during construction with minimal interruptions.

The entrance at the Southeast corner to Swisher Parking Lot (near Chestnut Street) will be closed. We will have pedestrian signage around the site along with routes (shown on attached Phase 1 Drawing) to help elevate any confusion. Please expect some disruption until everyone gets used to the changes, and note there will be a loss of parking stalls. Allow extra time to find an alternate location which could be as far as upper campus commuter lots. Use caution while walking and traveling in this area.

Renovations at Husky Lounge

Beginning on Monday, April 6, you’ll notice some changes in and around the Husky Lounge. Construction safety fencing will be put in place outside to create a pedestrian corridor between Montour and Kehr and will necessitate the closing of the entrance into Husky from the patio. Entrance and exit to Husky will be through the Kehr lobby door only.

Inside the Husky, a temporary construction wall will eliminate access to the booth seating. No food concepts will be effected and the table seating will be available. This will shield patrons and Husky operation from the construction on the opposite side of the wall. The Husky operating hours will remain the same.

The Husky Lounge, Kehr and university staff will work to lessen any inconveniences this may cause but there are sure to be some slight disruptions as moving forward.

COST students take road trip to Sanofi Pasteur

Students and faculty from the departments of biological and allied health sciences and chemistry and biochemistry toured Sanofi Pasteur U.S. in Swiftwater on a recent Husky Career Road Trip, which was spearheaded by alumnus Richard Wisniewski ‘82, the company’s deputy director of strategic industrial planning.

The Swiftwater location is the vaccine division of Sanofi Pasteur, a global leader in vaccines with 13,000 employees worldwide. The students met with company administrators and human relations staff, learned about the organization’s history and potential career opportunities. The students’ visit also included a panel discussion with nine BU graduates who currently work at Sanofi Pasteur and a networking lunch.

Husky Career Road Trips, part of the university’s Professional U initiative, provide students an opportunity to visit organizations, meet professionals and learn about employment opportunities in specific career fields.

New executive director of performing arts and programming

Randall Presswood has been promoted to executive director for performing arts and programming. In his new role, he will oversee the Celebrity Artist Series programming, artist selection and corporate sponsorships, as well as the Division of Instructional Media Services.

He will manage the performing arts facilities, Mitrani Hall and Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium, and work with academic departments and the community to provide educational components to art performances.

Performing Arts Facilities consist of Mitrani Hall, in Haas Center for the Arts, a 2,000-seat proscenium stage with full fly loft and state-of-the-art lighting and sound abilities; and the K.S. Gross Auditorium in Carver Hall, a 150 year-old, 600-seat Victorian theater with a full component of stage lighting and sound capabilities.

Why are some companies efficient ... others aren't?

Chad Syverson, professor of economics in The Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago, will deliver a public lecture on "Why are some companies efficient, while other's aren't?" on Thursday, April 16, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the KUB Ballroom. This event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Department of Economics.

Syverson holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland. His work has appeared in the American economic Review, Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, and Journal of Industrial Organization; among other publications. He has been a guest speaker at Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, The American Social Science Association, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Banco de Portugal, Bank of Canada, National Bank of Belgium, Columbia GSB, Department of Justice Antitrust Division and World Bank.

Award-winning authors visits campus for discussion and lecture

Award-winning author Francesca Segal, will visit campus on Thursday, April 16, to present “Tea and Sympathy: On Being a British, Jewish, Woman Writer,” at 7:30 p.m. in McCormick Center 2303.

Earlier in the day, Segal will conduct a question-and-answer session in Student Services Center 004, from 3:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Segal joined her father, Eric Segal, author of the classic “Love Story,” as an accomplished novelist in 2013 when she published her debut novel, “The Innocents.” The book’s awards include the Costa First Novel Award, National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the Betty Trask Award. As a journalist, Segal’s work has appeared in Granta, Newsweek, The Guardian, The Financial Times, Vogue UK and Vogue US.

Personal Adornment Day and Makeup Extravaganza

Caldwell Consistory and Bloomsburg University will be hosting PADME, an art student runaway consisting of a performance style exhibition of wearable art and theatrical makeup, on Thursday, April 16. Short for “Personal Adornment Day and Makeup Extravaganza," PADME is sponsored by The Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, formed to provide a link between the university and the Bloomsburg community through its downtown locations.

Each year, the Center offers programs like PADME from the departments of art and art history, English and music, theatre and dance to celebrate the arts and support the connection between the university and the broader community. At this year’s program, visiting artist and juror Jim Arendt will present two programs before the show in Old Science Hall 311: a lecture at 10 a.m. and a workshop at 1 p.m.

10-11:30 a.m. — Jim Arendt, Lecture, Old Science Hall 311

1 to 4 p.m. — Jim Arendt, Workshop, Flowers and Skulls:“A Workshop in Subversive Applique Techniques, the Division of Labor, the Power of Limits and Miscellany Regarding Alienation and Angst”

Adding a literary twist to Great War Series

Tina Entzminger, professor of English and department chair, introduces the work of Ernest Hemingway to Bloomsburg University’s Institute for Culture and Society, Great War Series. Her lecture, “Hemingway and the Great War” will discuss “The Sun Also Rises” and “A Farewell to Arms,” in the context of World War I. In conjunction with this lecture, Entzminger’s American Literature 2 students will present class research. The event will be held on April 16, from 7 to 9 p.m., in Centennial Hall 239.

It is no surprise that Hemingway’s novels contain scattered symbols of war. He responded to a Red Cross recruitment in 1918, arriving in Paris during heavy German invasion. He experienced a gruesome factory explosion in Milan, was wounded by mortar fire assisting Italian soldiers and sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that required immediate operation. Hemingway experienced the love, loss and hardships that accompany war, and in doing so, was provided with firsthand knowledge that would later captivate his audiences.

Entzminger specializes in American literature of the realist and modernist periods. She is the author of two books, “Contemporary Reconfigurations of American Literary Classics” and “The Belle Gone Bad: White Southern Women Writers and the Dark Seductress.” At BU, Entzminger teaches courses in composition and American Literature.

Alumnus helps kick off Ally Week

Bloomsburg University's LGBTQA Community will be celebrating their Fifth Annual Lavender Graduation on Saturday, April 11, at 3 p.m. in the KUB Multicultural Center, which officially kicks of Ally Week. Lavender Graduation celebrates the many accomplishments made by the LGBTQ students and allies at Bloomsburg University. The graduation takes the time to congratulate and thank them for what they do for the LGBTQ Community and university.

The ceremony is filled with undergraduates and graduate students who have already or are planning on graduating during that year. Each graduate has the opportunity to choose a person whom they would like to honor at the graduation. This year the LGBTQA Community invited back Brian Sims as the commencement speaker.

Sims '01 was co- captain for BU’s Football team in 2000 and was the first openly gay regional All American and team captain in the NCAA. In 2004, he graduated Michigan State University School of Law: with a J.D. degree in International and Comparative Law. Then continuing on to be the first openly gay person elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Sims was also selected as one of the top 40 LGBT Attorneys, under 40, in the United States by the National LGBT Bar Association in 2010.

Sims continually is active in the LGBT community by trying to pass legislation to legalize Same-Sax Marriage in Pennsylvania and a bill to help reduce and eliminate the gender gap in rate of pay.

Ally Week

During the week there will be tables on campus with information about the LGBTQA Community, selling T-shirts, rainbow ribbons, and much more along with scheduled activities.

Siblings' and Children's Weekend

Starting Friday, April 10, the Program Board will be hosting the 2015 Siblings’ and Children’s Weekend. This year’s theme, “Bloom Bought a Zoo”, encompasses a variety of zoo like qualities consisting of zoo themed games, a carnival, balloon sculptures, a photo booth, and more.

The Program Board welcomes all students, faculty, and staff to bring their children, siblings, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews to participate in this family fun weekend at the university. There will also be room for your zoo animal friends to join in on the weekends entertaining events.

If you are interested in registering for this kid-friendly affair, you have the option to register in advance or simply by showing up to register at the start of the weekend on Friday or Saturday. By pre-registering, students may have family members stay with them on campus. To catch a glimpse of what to expect during this year’s zoo themed event, you can find some of the weekends highlights:

Balloon sculpting, a photo booth, and zoo themed games

Featured Movies - We Bought a Zoo and The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

Siblings’ and Children’s Weekend is annually coordinated by the Program Board team of student leaders, bringing together the Bloomsburg community and our outside community of family members and friends.

How many ways ... can you be the best you at BU?

As the weather improves, campus begins to bloom and activities are abound, there’s a lot to celebrate about Bloomsburg University at this time of year. This includes you!

And we’re doing just that on Tuesday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Student Services Center patio.

Join us for mocktails, games and prizes … including a chance to win $5,000 in cash or a two-year lease for a new car, courtesy of Lions Gate. “B The Best U Day” is sponsored by the Dean of Students Office, Student Health Center, DAWN, Women’s Resource Center, Apartment Store and Springfest.

COE opens door to graduate opportunities

Teachers of students in kindergarten through 12th grade may learn about opportunities to further their own education at a graduate program open house hosted by Bloomsburg University’s College of Education. The open house will be held Tuesday, April 14, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. in Andruss Library, Schweiker Room.

Teachers from local school districts, as well as BU’s current student teachers and students enrolled in education and other majors, are invited to speak with faculty members and current graduate students about opportunities for lifelong learning.

All graduate-level programs will be represented: Master of Education in Early Childhood Education, Mid-Level Education, Reading, Curriculum and Instruction, Special Education and Early Childhood Education Dual Certification, and Special Education Advanced Certification in both pre-kindergarten to eighth grade and seventh through 12th grades. Information also will be available on all four tracks of Educational Leadership – College Student Affairs, School Counseling, School Principal Certification, and Supervisory Certification – and the Master of Science programs, which include Master of Science in Special Education, Special Education Supervisory Certification, and Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

“Continuing professional development is critically important for all teachers,” said Elizabeth Mauch, dean of the College of Education. “BU’s College of Education offers more than 20 majors at the post-baccalaureate level, and all of the education majors are nationally accredited.”

New online courses will allow teachers to earn continuing education graduate credits, begin a master’s degree program or work toward a certification while staying close to their home and family, she added.

A big, big ... Big Event

Chilly temperatures and a light coating of snow didn’t hamper Community Government Association’s The Big Event from having another record turnout with more than 2,275 volunteers working 150-plus job sites.

Among the locations included the Bloomsburg Diner, YMCA, Fernville Park and roughly 100 local residences. Student volunteers tackled a host of chores such as raking, painting, gardening, mulching, removing debris, digging and various spring-cleaning duties.

Sponsored by the CGA, the single-day community service event gives students the opportunity to say “thank you" to Bloomsburg area residents and show appreciation for the community we live, learn and work in.

Inaugural Girls In STEM event draws rave reviews

Bloomsburg University’s Regional STEM Education Center recently hosted roughly 100 Junior Girl Scouts from 21 regional troops for its first-ever GI-STEM: Girls In Science, Technology, Engineering, Math Day, where the scouts explored the world of STEM through 11 different hands-on stations directed by early childhood education and exceptionality majors, along with the Computer Science Club.

The event attracted troops came from as far as State College, Williamsport, Scranton, and Chalfont. GI-STEM was created to encourage girls to look at the world around them with inquisitive eyes and to become natural scientists.

Following a welcome from Robbie Soltz, who holds a doctorate in biology and is the wife of BU President David Soltz, scout troops worked with education majors and the Computer Science Club on activities such as “Storm Troopers,” “Full of Hot Air,” “Ooo-Bleck,” “Explosion Central” and “Fun with Computers.”

Students from the President’s Leadership Program helped to plan the program and were also on hand during the event to assist with registration, parking, and logistics. Lunch was provided and the scouts left with materials to help them reflect on what they have learned in order to apply it toward their badges.

College Republications to screen, discuss FrackNation

Bloomsburg University's College Republicans are hosting a showing of the controversial documentary FrackNation on Thursday April 9, at Kuster Auditorium in Hartline Science Center at 6 p.m. The documentary is controversial, because it shows positive effects of the practice of fracking, a popular occupation and practice in this area. FrackNation is a counter to the anti-fracking film, Gasland.

Following the documentary, there will be a panel discussion featuring University faculty Phillip Huckans (physics), Nakul Kumar (economics), and Paul Nicholas (political science) and their opinions on both the documentary and the practice. The event is open to the public, and admission is free.

Film adds a French perspective to ICS series

Yahya Laayouni, assistant professor of Arabic and French, provides a different cultural perspective to Bloomsburg University’s Institute of Culture and Society, Great War Series. Following a screening of “Black and White in Color,” Laayouni will lead the discussion, “France in the Great War,” bringing into question the ways in which World War I is remembered. The screening of the film and discussion will be held on Thursday, April 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

The film focuses on French colonists in Africa, who after finding themselves at war with Germany, decide that they must fight the Germans as an act of duty to their nation. Recruiting local colonized African natives, the French colonists begin issuing boots and rifles while attempting to teach the locals to be good soldiers. After great difficulties, a young French geographer decides to stick to another rationale, taking over the local war movement.

The film demonstrates how often people forget about the thousands of people that were forced into World War I from surrounding colonies, just because they happen to be colonized. During his discussion, Laayouni will highlight the manner in which these individuals were forced to defend regimes who were oppressing, torturing and dehumanizing them.

Laayouni’s research focuses on manifestations of identity in French and Maghreb cinema. He is currently conducting research on colonial and postcolonial theory and Orientalism. At BU, Laayouni teaches Arabic and French language and culture.

Student Employment Appreciation Week

During Student Employment Appreciation Week, the nominees for the 2014-15 Student Employee of the Year are recognized at a luncheon. This will take place on Tuesday, April 7 at noon in the Kehr Union Building.

Bloomsburg’s 2014-15 Student Employee of the Year is Julieann Gusick, a senior English major, who works as a student secretary in Exceptionality Programs and as a Writing Center assistant. Gusick receives a $500 scholarship funded by the Bloomsburg University Foundation. Second place finisher is Christian Tloczynski, a senior history major, who works as an interlibrary loan student assistant. Tloczynski receives a $200 University Store gift card.

Wednesday, April 8 — teams of student employees and supervisors are invited to participate in the Ninth Annual Team Challenge, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Student Rec Center. A spirit of competition is all you need for fun and creative activities. One lucky team will win a free luncheon worth up to $100, courtesy of John Loonan, vice president of administration.

Friday, April 10 — at 11:30 a.m., all student workers and their supervisors are invited for a free grilled hot dog and Rita’s Ice on the patio in front of the Student Services Center.

Students demonstrate artistic talent

Bloomsburg University’s Haas Gallery of Art will highlight the talents of BU art students with the 2015 Juried Student Art Show. The show kicked off this week with an opening reception at Haas Gallery of Art. The exhibit will be displayed until Tuesday, April 14.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public. All art students are invited to submit artwork in the medium of their choice. In previous years, the event has drawn 50 to 60 entries, reduced to approximately 30 pieces for final jurying.

The juror for this year’s show is Kerry Kolenut, visiting assistant professor. Kolenut, who teaches graphic design at BU, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Fine Arts in photography from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She has taught photography and design in undergraduate programs in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and China.

Overcoming Adversity: As a person with disabilities

Paul Stuart Wichansky, born with cerebral palsy and hearing loss, has transformed difficult obstacles into unique opportunities and encouraged and educated others since he was 10-years-old. On Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m., he will do the same for Bloomsburg University students in Carver Hall’s Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. The presentation, “Overcoming Adversity as a Person with Disabilities,” will be free and open to the public.

Wichansky, referred to as “Dr. Paul” among family and friends, has hosted motivational events since he talked about his disease during elementary school assemblies. In his presentations, Wichansky shares uplifting stories designed to help instill hope, energy and inspiration in his audiences. He speaks with humor about his own journey of living with his disability, earning his doctoral degree and achieving his biggest dream – to be able to walk. He emphasizes that being different should be celebrated instead of being ridiculed and that, as one of his favorite quotes says, “One man can make a difference.”

The Greenly Center to host guest writer

Crystal Wilkinson, short fiction writer and a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets, will read from her work Thursday, April 2, at 6:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Greenly Center, 50 E. Main Street. The reading is free and open to the public. Wilkinson helped found the Affrilachian Poets Society in 1991. The society embraces a multicultural influence, a spectrum of people who consider Appalachia to be their home or identify strongly with the trials and triumphs of being of the Appalachian region.

Wilkinson has published a number of works and has received several awards for her writing. Her story, “Blackberries, Blackberries,” won the 2002 Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature and “Water Street” was a finalist for the United Kingdom’s Orange Prize for fiction and Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. In addition, Wilkinson won the Danny Plattner Award for Poetry from Appalachian Heritage Magazine and the Sallie Bingham Award from the Kentucky Foundation for Women for the promotion of activism and artistic expression.

Wilkinson’s visit marks the first event to be held in the new Greenly Center in downtown Bloomsburg. Other cultural events, including art exhibits and gallery receptions, are expected to follow.

Film adds a French perspective to ICS series

Yahya Laayouni, assistant professor of Arabic and French, provides a different cultural perspective to Bloomsburg University’s Institute of Culture and Society, Great War Series. Following a screening of “Black and White in Color,” Laayouni will lead the discussion, “France in the Great War,” bringing into question the ways in which World War I is remembered. The screening of the film and discussion will be held on Thursday, April 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

The film focuses on French colonists in Africa, who after finding themselves at war with Germany, decide that they must fight the Germans as an act of duty to their nation. Recruiting local colonized African natives, the French colonists begin issuing boots and rifles while attempting to teach the locals to be good soldiers. After great difficulties, a young French geographer decides to stick to another rationale, taking over the local war movement.

The film demonstrates how often people forget about the thousands of people that were forced into World War I from surrounding colonies, just because they happen to be colonized. During his discussion, Laayouni will highlight the manner in which these individuals were forced to defend regimes who were oppressing, torturing and dehumanizing them.

Documentary shows the ugliness of plagiarism

It is the worst crime a writer can commit, it happened at one of the country’s most revered news publications and it is the focus of the documentary, “A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at the New York Times.” The film will be screened on Tuesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Center 1303. The event will be free and open to the public.

In 2003, Jayson Blair, a reporter for the New York Times, stole the work of other journalists and fabricated details in dozens of stories. The documentary includes interviews with New York Times executives, one of Blair’s victims of plagiarism and Blair himself.

While the documentary is specific to journalistic plagiarism, Pat Trosky, mass communications instructor at BU, points out that the topic of plagiarism is universal in all curricula and occupations. “Imagine medical, pharmaceutical or engineering journals taking information from other sources and claiming it is their own? Worse yet, what if the information used eventually was found to be wrong?” she said.

Zimbabwean refugee brings story to campus

Bloomsburg University will host a political refugee who was national coordinator of both Zimbabwe’s AIDS education program and its program to bring primary education to rural schoolchildren in developing countries. After political strife in Zimbabwe led to threats, harassment, intimidation and separation from his family, Clement A. Jumbe fled to Canada as a refugee. He will tell his story in “My Journey to Safety… and the Help that I Received from the Scholars at Risk Networks” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium.

Jumbe has more than two decades of experience in education as a high school principal and district education officer in Zimbabwe. After starting a new career as national director for UNICEF’s HIV/AIDS Education Program and the national coordinator of the Commonwealth Education Fund, Zimbabwe was expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations for human rights abuses. The government branded the education program as a threat to national interests, leading to a lack of security for Jumbe and his family. In Canada, he was supported by the Scholars at Risk Program at Massey College of the University of Toronto, which provided him with room and board, contacts, speaking engagements and opportunities to teach again.

Annual consortium puts future teachers ahead of the curve

With graduation soon approaching for many Bloomsburg University education majors, the job search is becoming more and more prominent as the semester is coming to an end. But with opportunities like the 33rd Annual North Central PA Education Consortium, education students from all over Pennsylvania were given the chance to make connections, set up interviews, and practice communicating with professional recruiters.

Sponsoring institutions at the consortium included education students from Bloomsburg, Bucknell, East Stroudsburg, Lycoming, Mansfield, and Susquehanna University. According to Lauren Thew, a Bloomsburg University senior early childhood and special education major, the consortium gave her the opportunity to see a room filled with possibilities.

“Before today, I never really thought about applying out of state,” Thew said. “But with the ability to sit down and talk to each of the recruiters without restricting myself, I was able to gain many fitting contacts and which could turn into job offers.”

Graduate students lend hand to Lackawanna College student affairs

Twenty graduate students in Bloomsburg University’s School Counseling and College Student Affairs program assisted the Lackawanna College division of student affairs with their effort to promote a safe and comfortable living and learning environment.

The students interviewed staff from residence life, student affairs, and campus police, met with Lackawanna College undergraduates, and conducted an informal campus audit. The day concluded with informal presentation of recommendations for change and improvement on the Lackawanna campus.

Throughout the day-long visit to the Lackawanna campus, Bloomsburg graduate students applied concepts learned in “Foundations and Functions of College Student Affairs” and “Legal, Ethical, and Leadership Issues in College Student Affairs.”

Student-centered initiative guides path to degree

Bloomsburg University is enhancing its student support services and success by joining the Student Success Collaborative. BU became part of the Education Advisory Board — Student Success Collaborative (SSC) last June, along with four other member institutions in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education: Shippensburg, Clarion, Slippery Rock and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The goal of the partnership is to identify issues that slow down students on their way to graduation and find the pathways and support services that most effectively enable student success.

“SSC is a software platform that will help us analyze past student retention, performance and graduation data and facilitate questions that lead to an understanding of the factors that hinder success,” said Tom Fletcher, vice president for enrollment management. “The data SSC provides will give advisers the information they need to help students navigate course selections, choose majors and earn their degree.”

Why get involved with Professional U?

At Bloomsburg University, interactive learning opportunities are everywhere for students to take advantage of outside the classroom. According to three students who have attended Professional U events in the past, they believe their progression in Professional U has undoubtedly guided them down the path to success in their future careers.

Amanda Kuzmak, junior accounting major, said being a part of Professional U has been the best stepping stone she could have asked for at Bloomsburg University.

“I began my journey with Professional U by attending workshops, which gave me great insight into what I could do to reach my goals in an efficient way,” she said.

Although some events are specific to certain majors, Kuzmak said that Professional U doesn’t gear every program toward any major in particular.

“Any student at Bloomsburg University can find a Professional U event that will help them in their college experience,” Kuzmak said. “The workshops are geared towards giving academic knowledge to any student’s career path.”

Kuzmak believes a student’s success is based on them.

“Many students get into their senior year and realize they are not prepared for their job search or the workforce,” Kuzmak said. “I started my interaction with Professional U early in my college career, and I already feel that I am prepared for the real world.”

How Professional U can help you!

The Voice takes on NYC

The Voice just returned from its annual trip to New York for the College Media Convention. Seated: Angela Hess, Samantha Kern, Felicia Carey, and Lyndsay Bartos. Standing (left to right): Matt Healy, Cole Kresch, Mary Bernath, Kathryn Saulinas, Adina Evans, Jessie Napkora, Vanessa Giedosh, Ioannis Pashakis, Alexandra Mullen, and Tyler Gentzel. All are current editors on The Voice.

At this College Media Convention were more than 1,200 editors and advisers from across the U.S., and we attended 250-plus sessions by media professionals and fellow advisers and editors over three days from March 12 to 14. The Voice presented a session entitled "The Editor's Edge: How to Use It to Land a Job" based on research we have done with past editors from The Voice, whose experience on the paper has helped them overwhelmingly in their job searches. Presenters were Jessie Napkora, editor in chief; Kathryn Saulinas, news editor; Adina Evans, contributing editor; and Mary Bernath, adviser.

WRC honors outstanding women on campus

Donna Murphy, of Professional Development and Career Experience, was awarded the most Outstanding Woman of the Year.

Other awardees were:

Molly Alexander

Boenell Kline

Shell Lundahl

Amber Pitt

Madelyn Rodriquez

Jasmin Velz

Diana Zoelle

BU well represented at Governor’s Pennsylvania STEM Competition

Two Bloomsburg University professor and five STEM Magnet Program students recently participated in the inaugural Governor’s Pennsylvania STEM Competition at the CSIU in Milton. The competition was established to enable high school students to learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers while also addressing a real-world problem through the design, building, and presentation of a device that would improve the quality of life for Pennsylvania residents.

Michael Sheppard, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences, and Beth Rogowsky, assistant professor teaching and learning, were part of the panel of four judges. Their role in the competition was to evaluate the device created by the students along with judging two additional components to the competition, a presentation on a local STEM industry and a critical thinking team project.

The team from the STEM Magnet Program consisted of Stephen Eyerly, Noah Wood, Megan Sumner, Claire Woodward, and Sebastian Shaffer, all from Central Columbia High School. Although they came in third in the competition, their device, a pencil eraser that could also be used as a stylus for students whose schools use iPads for instruction, intrigued the judges. They also presented information on Kawneer Alcoa, Bloomsburg, and worked as a team to drop an egg from a 10’ ladder without breaking it using only items provided by the CSIU.

GCI to show documentary on U.S. hunger

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania will screen “A Place at the Table,” a documentary film revealing hunger problems in the U.S. The film will be shown on Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall’s Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

Fifty million U.S. citizens don’t know where their next meal is coming from, an issue caused not by food scarcity but by poverty. This poses economic, social and cultural implications for the nation. “A Place at the Table” tells the stories of people, young and old, struggling with food insecurity in the U.S. Through these stories coupled with insights from experts, teachers and activists, the film proposes that healthy food can be available and affordable to all citizens.

The film screening is sponsored by BU’s Green Campus Initiative.

Empty Bowls to help fill local Food Cupboard

Empty Bowls 2015, hosted by Bloomsburg University’s Center for Leadership and Engagement, aims to fill the empty bowls of individuals around the community who are in need of food. The event will be held on Sunday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom.

A minimum donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students is requested for unlimited soup tasting.

At the event, guests are invited to taste a variety of soups donated by local chefs and community organizations. Participants will also have the opportunity to purchase hand-crafted, clay bowls created by local artists. All proceeds of BU’s Empty Bowls 2015 will go to the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard to end hunger in the local area.

Jazz Ensemble tunes up for PMEA

Bloomsburg University’s Jazz Ensemble will perform for the first time at the Pennsylvania Music Educator Association’s (PMEA) annual conference in Hershey. Twenty-five students will perform on Thursday at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, selected from 130 entries. Led by Stephen Clickard, professor of music and director of BU’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, the Jazz Ensemble is made up of students majoring in music and other disciplines.

During the PEMA concert, the Jazz Ensemble will perform a world premiere of new material and arrangements written by Clickard. The performance will also feature Nelson Hill, saxophone instructor at BU, in a duet with Charlie Bryant, saxophonist and senior music major from Philadelphia.

Victim’s Right Advocate brings story of survival to campus

To honor Women’s History Month, the Bloomsburg University Women’s Resource Center and the Multicultural Center invited Beverly Gooden, Victim’s Rights Advocate and Creator of the Viral Hashtag #WhyIStayed, to speak to the university community on Thursday, March 26, at 6 p.m. in KUB Multicultural Center. Gooden will discuss:

Her experience as a survivor of domestic violence

The myths and misunderstandings of domestic violence

Challenging the question “Why did she/he stay?”

How the current way we interact with survivors of domestic violence is “a house of cards”

ICS Series looks at life of immigrant WWI soldiers

Nancy Gentile Ford, professor of history, will discuss the training and treatment of immigrant soldiers in World War I during her lecture, “Americans All! Immigrant Soldiers in the U.S. Army in the Great War.” The lecture, part of BU’s Institute of Culture and Society Great War Series, will take place Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

With the outbreak of World War I, nearly half a million immigrant soldiers were drafted into the U.S. Army, making up almost 20 percent of the military force. These immigrants came from 46 nationalities, according to Ford’s book, “Americans All!: Foreign-Born Soldiers in World War I,” and challenged the military’s training techniques, as well as long-held cultural, linguistic and religious traditions.

While some historians would describe this experience as involuntary assimilation for the immigrant soldiers, Ford describes a period of respect and sensitivity to the traditions of the immigrants. The resulting challenge for military officials was to build American patriotism while also building individual morale.

Noted author Domenica Ruta visits campus

Domenica Ruta, author of the acclaimed memoir “With or Without You” visits campus on Tuesday, March 24, as part of the Big Dog Reading Series. Ruta grew up in a working-class town north of Boston where in the seventeenth century women were hanged as witches. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious figure in this hardscrabble place, was a drug addict and sometime dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, whose highbrow taste was at odds with her base appetites.

And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter the idea that art — via a classic film or a classical education — could transcend this life of undying grudges, self-inflicted misfortune, and the crooked moral code that Kathi and her cohorts lived by. “With or Without You” is the story of Domenica’s unconventional coming of age — a darkly hilarious chronicle of a misfit ’90s childhood and the necessary and painful act of breaking away, and of overcoming her own addictions and demons in the process.

Ruta will give a craft talk about working as a writer and getting published at 2 p.m. in room 354A the Kehr Union. She will read from her book at 7 p.m. in the auditorium located in 1303 McCormick. Copies of Ruta’s book will be for sale and she will sign books after the reading. Both events are free and open to the public. The Big Dog Reading Series, started in 1999, brings a variety of poets and writers to the region. It is organized by the Creative Writing program of the Department of English and sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts.

Johnson to facilitate discussion commemorating March on Selma

BU will participate in a Town Hall conversation Monday, March 23, from 9:15 to 11 a.m. in KUB Hideaway, featuring students, teachers and police officers from Ferguson, Mo., and students and teachers from Little Rock (Ark.) High School. Ferguson has been the epicenter for protests and investigations related to increasing social and racial justice; Little Rock High School came to national attention in 1957 when nine African American students, escorted by federal troops, desegregated the school. Panelists, who are participating in the National Park Service’s Selma Walking Classroom, will discuss what’s been going on in Ferguson and the community’s response to recent events as they relate to schools, educational responsibility, and their hopes for the future. The webinar is open to the campus community and will be recorded for later release.

CGA gets jump-start on The Big Event

Community Government Association’s Executive Board got a jump-start on The Big Event when they traveled to New Orleans to help with the St. Bernard Project while they were down in the Big Easy for a student government conference.

A previous CGA executive board participated with the organization years ago and highly recommended it. It was also special, because when CGA's does The Big Event (which will be held Saturday, March 28), it's busy directing everyone else and doesn't get to go to a job site. The St. Bernard Project gave it one, putting up dry wall in a house The St. Bernard project was building from the ground up.

The American Student Government Association’s conference was great, according to the executive board, because it gave them a chance to network with a number of other colleges and universities. All of CGA execs tried to split up when choosing workshops so they were exposed to everything the conference offered.

Chemistry receives ASBMB accreditation

Bloomsburg University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has received a three-year provisional accreditation from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) for the biochemistry program. BU is the first university in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education to be awarded an ASBMB accreditation. BU’s biochemistry program was rated on factors including research laboratory facilities, faculty scholarship and educational goals. The accreditation recognizes BU’s biochemistry program as meeting the organization’s advanced requirements.

ASBMB evaluators praised the program for “strong experiential learning and extensive lab experiences, excellent integration of inquiry-based learning into the curriculum, and thorough assessment of student objectives in individual courses.”

Police partner with social equity on diversity training

In partnership with the Office of Social Equity, the BU Police department completed a daylong Campus Racial Diversity training with WSM Trainers and Consultants.

The training on “Appreciating Differences: A Racial Diversity Workshop for University Police Officers, Security Officers, Administrators and Supervisors” was led by Lee Struble, a senior trainer for the National Crime Prevention Council, and Steve Grant, a retired Rochester police officer who serve several years as a hostage negotiator and defensive tactics instructor.

Program curriculum included:

The Racial Diversity Challenge on Campuses/The Changing Faces of America

Mass Media and the Perpetuation of Negative Stereotypes in our Society

The Seven-Step “RESPECT” method of communication recovery

Reducing Complaints and Building TRUST

Effective Communications and Customer Service

Welcome to the CGA!

Bloomsburg University’s Community Government Association will welcome a new set of CGA Executive Committee of Officers this fall. According to Bryan Molk, CGA historian, serving on the executive board during his time as a student at Bloomsburg University has acted as a foundation for the beginning of his professional career.

“For the past three years, serving on the CGA exec board has been the most fulfilling and honorable role in my time as a student at Bloomsburg University,” Molk said.

CGA provides students with an opportunity to govern themselves in a democratic manner. As an executive board member, students will oversee all Community Activities, Kehr Union, the University Store, the Student Recreation Center and Honeysuckle Student Apartments. Moltz’s involvement with CGA started his sophomore year when former CGA president Ashley Wallace contacted him about open executive board positions. For Molk, right from the get-go CGA provided him with many opportunities to make important campus decisions.

“I hit the ground running, attending a student government conference at Texas A&M University,” said Molk. “By serving on the executive board, I have been able to directly interact with and influence the decisions of key administrators on campus.”

CGA Election Results

President — Sally McAvoy

Vice President — Rebecca Demuth

Secretary — Patrick Berridge

Treasurer — James Fazio

Not your average spring break

The beginning of the spring semester at Bloomsburg University is usually accompanied by chilly weather and sometimes a few beautiful snow days. As much as our students love the first snow, by the time spring break rolls around in March, everyone is itching for some warm spring weather.

Many students choose to spend their breaks at home, relaxing and enjoying some time off from classes with their families. The other traditional option is for students to travel to places where the weather is much warmer and sunnier for a week of unwinding and de-stressing far away from winter weather.

A few students, however, spend their spring breaks much differently. These “alternative” spring breakers may still travel, but not to relax on a tropical beach. They turn their precious week off into a valuable learning experience, seeing new places and serving communities in need.

Business students host Sekisui executive leader

Bloomsburg University’s chapters of APICS, Phi Beta Lambda, the ITM Club, and the Society for the Advancement of Management, recently hosted Ronn Cort, president and COO, of Sekisui SPI, a leading creator of high performance plastics for demanding industries. Cort shared his perspectives on Additive Manufacturing: Our 3D Future.

In addition to a brief discussion of the technology itself, Cort provided a thorough perspective on the revolutionary changes it will likely cause on various supply chains, with his own company’s chain as the focal point. Cort’s presentation was well attended with 225 eager students and faculty. Prior to the presentation, Cort met with a select group of student leaders from the sponsoring chapters for a reception and informal conversation.

The highlight of the presentation was Cort’s emphasis on growing his business to maintain the good, high-paying jobs Sekisui SPI already provides while supporting even more jobs in the future. Students will remember Cort’s declaration that the reason Sekisui SPI can compete for high-margin business is because of their committed employees, but that it is his job to ensure they can compete in the future.

Students honored, cap leadership summit

Two Bloomsburg University students received leadership awards during the university’s recent first Legacy of Leadership Banquet. Honored were:

Jessa Wood, a senior majoring in philosophy and psychology, Outstanding Student Mentor Award recognizing outstanding leadership as a mentor for a fellow student or group of students

Eric Schwartz, a sophomore majoring in exercise science, H. Preston Herring Scholarship for leadership and service to the Town of Bloomsburg and the BU community through volunteering, community employment and participation in on-campus organizations. The award is named in honor of BU’s late vice president of student affairs.

Chaza Abdul, instructor of business education and information and technology management, Student Organization Adviser of the Year Award, for involvement in the student organization Odyssey of the Mind.

Former student leaders Paul Kappel ’89, Susan Kocher ’88 and Shawn Rosler ’02, Legacy of Leadership inductees for continuing to demonstrate leadership skills in their personal and professional lives.

The awards ceremony was held as part of BU’s Husky Student Leadership Summit, a free day-long conference presented by BU alumni, faculty, staff and student leaders, and sponsored by the Office of Alumni Engagement, Center for Leadership and Engagement and Community Government Association.

Trustees approve fees for the 2015-16

Bloomsburg University’s Council of Trustees approved fees for the 2015-16 academic year during their recent quarterly meeting. For fall 2015, the combined room and board fees will increase from $3,937 per semester to $4,144 per semester, reflecting a 3.3 percent increase in the housing charge and $3.2 percent increase in the food service rate. BU’s room and board fees remain among the lowest in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

Trustees also approved a wellness fee of $120 per semester for fall 2015. The wellness fee encompasses the Student Health Center, Counseling Center and the Drug, Alcohol and Wellness Network, known as DAWN. The previous fee of $62 per semester covered only the health center. They also agree to a schedule of mandatory fees that remain unchanged for next year, including fees for community activities, student union operation, recreation, registration/transcript and transportation.

O’Brien is an award winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor, producer and television personality. At the forefront of the biggest breaking news stories of the past two decades, O’Brien is one of the most sought-after journalists of current day.

Jealous is the former president and CEO of the NAACP. He stepped down from his post at the end of 2013. The youngest president in its history, he began his career at age 18 opening mail at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Malveaux has long been recognized for her progressive and insightful observations. She is a labor economist, noted author, and colorful commentator. Malveaux has been described by Cornel West as “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.” A native San Franciscan, she is the Founder and Thought Leader of Last Word Productions, Inc., a multimedia production company headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Huskies get up-close look at healthcare profession via Geisinger

Geisinger Medical Center, one of the most highly integrated health systems in the country and among the region’s most valuable resources, invited Bloomsburg University students to participate in this year’s Jan Plan program. The program brings students interested in healthcare into the hospital for a nine-day interactive experience, providing them with the opportunity to learn and collaborate with medical students, residents and physicians.

Representing Bloomsburg University at this year’s Jan Plan were biology and allied health sciences majors Jennifer Young, Justin VanderMolen, and Shaidy Moronta. While reflecting on their experience, they all agreed Jan Plan offered them an excellent opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge about the medical profession.

Jennifer Young, junior health science major, saw Jan Plan as a great chance to represent the university and also gain insight into whether or not this was a career she wanted to continue working towards.

“As someone who wasn’t 100 percent sure that an occupation in medicine was what I wanted to do, being able to see in depth what life would be like working as a physician was crucial,” Young said. “This experience really opened my eyes to the different aspects of being a doctor, helping me to better understand everything that goes into this type of profession.”

With the opportunity to see what life is like as a doctor as opposed to observing physicians actions from a patients standpoint, Jennifer gained a firsthand look into all aspects of their work.

“My involvement with Jan Plan really benefitted me in that it allowed me to see doctor’s interactions with patients, as well as how much paper work and collaboration goes into caring for the people.”

Once in a lifetime research opportunity

With the help of the Bloomsburg University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, an experience of a lifetime is available this summer to students interested in a mixture of research and travel. BU’s research program is accepting applications for a unique experience where students will have the opportunity to study bees and pollination systems in the Republic of Turkey and Greece.

With the research program approaching its 10th active year, the research team has collaborated with several universities in western Turkey and eastern Greece. Bloomsburg University’s John Hranitz, interim director of research programs, believes the success of the program stems from the diverse skills and interdisciplinary approaches by their team of U.S. researchers from University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa University, and University of Kansas.

The funding from the National Science Foundation to the University of Central Oklahoma supports the students, so they can devote their entire effort in the summer to their research.

“Students will develop projects with a team of mentors who are experts in molecular biology, behavior, ecology, and taxonomy,” said Hranitz. “The funding from the National Science Foundation supports the students, so they can devote their entire effort in the summer to their research.”

Exercise science takes on bioDensity

A unique performance heath research opportunity has come to campus, resulting in a collaborative project for the Department of Exercise Science through the fall of 2017. Performance Health Systems, LLC awarded Swapan Mookerjee, professor of exercise science, a two-year research contract that provides more than $20,000 worth of equipment and logistical support to the department’s physiology laboratory along with the provision for a graduate assistantship, which was made possible with matching funds from the university.

“This project provides us a unique opportunity to conduct research, which will culminate in faculty-student collaborative presentations, papers and masters theses,” Mookerjee said. “The equipment is mainly available in clinical sites across the country.”

Getting a leg up on the competition

It was a taste of the real world for Bloomsburg University college student affairs and counseling graduate students recently participating in a Professional Development Day, featuring more than 30 faculty and staff from BU and other universities who volunteered to create an innovative interviewing experience.

The interactive professional development event was led by Department of Teaching and Learning faculty Mark Bauman, Denise Davidson and Mindy Andino, who were each eager to be a part of building this learning opportunity for students.

“We designed a day that would support the students. Overall, our goal as instructors is to ease their transition into the real world by giving them proper preparation and practice,” Davidson said.

Participating graduate students experienced the rigors of the interviewing process, where they were instructed to rotate through several stations. These stations consisted of three to four traditional, face-to-face interviews as well as Skype and phone interviews. The interviewers asked the students very generic questions, not geared towards any specific job or major.

There was also a resume review station and a presentation station, where students were given minimal instruction and asked to construct a ten minute presentation on the topic, “How to Engage College Students.”

Great War Series explores Ottoman Empire

M. Safa Saraçoğlu, associate professor of history , will discuss the role of the Ottoman Empire during World War I as part of BU’s Institute for Culture and Society, Great War Series. He will present the lecture, “The Ottoman Empire in the Great War,” following a screening of the BBC documentary, “Middle East — The Birth of Nations: Albert Kahn's Archive of the Planet” on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall, room 239.

The Ottoman Empire, often noted for its rapid expansion and lasting control over the Mediterranean World, was a dynamic and cosmopolitan empire. Beginning around 1300, the empire spread from Asia and eventually covered most of the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe, including modern Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia. When World War I began hundreds of years later, this power became involved when the Allied Powers declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The empire joined the Central Powers to form the Triple Alliance with the signing of the Turco-German Alliance in August 1914, Saraçoğlu explained.

Saraçoğlu is a historian of 19th century Ottoman Empire, including the Middle East and the Balkans. His publications focus on provincial administrative and judiciary practices in Ottoman Balkans, in particular Bulgaria. Saraçoğlu was a fellow at Nantes Institute for Advanced Studies during the 2012-13 academic year. His work centered on legal transformation and economic liberalism in the Ottoman Empire. At BU, he teaches courses on the history of Islam, the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire.

LGBTQ Human Rights and the US Government Abroad Talk

The Provost, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Political Science, the LGBTQ Office, and the Center for Civic Engagement are sponsoring an invited lecture by Cynthia Burack on Thursday, March 19. The title of the talk is LGBTQ Human Rights and the U.S. Government Abroad.

Cynthia Burack is a professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University. Her most recent book is Tough Love: Sexuality, Compassion, and the Christian Right (2014). She is currently at work on a new book that focuses on U.S. government interventions and advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ human rights abroad.

Burack's lecture, which will take place in McCormick 2303 at 7 p.m., will cover:

The 2011 speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the challenges facing lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people in countries around the world

What the U.S. has done to protect the human rights of LGBTQ people around the world

How these efforts are controversial in the U.S.

BU Players tell tale of cosmetic procedures

The BU Players take on an unconventional story in “The Nosemaker’s Apprentice: Chronicles of a Medieval Plastic Surgeon.” The comedy runs Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 25 to 28, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March, 1 at 3 p.m. at the Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg. Tickets are free for BU students, $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.

Written by Nick Jones and Rachel Shukert, “The Nosemaker’s Apprentice” tells the story of a father who weaves a magic tale for his daughter to justify his unlicensed plastic surgery practice, tracing the origins of cosmetic surgery to craftsman in medieval Europe.

“Imagine if the folks from ‘South Park,’ ‘Monty Python’ and the creators of ‘Airplane’ got together to tell the story of medieval plastic surgery,” said director David A. Miller, assistant professor of music, theatre and dance. “After directing the play professionally for Amphibian Stage Productions last summer, I love that I get to have even more laughs with the actors and with the audience. I hope that Bloomsburg is ready for this brand of comedy,” said Miller.

Local couple establishes professorship

Mary Katherine Duncan, professor of psychology at Bloomsburg University, has been named BU’s first Joan and Fred Miller Distinguished Professor of Good Work. The Millers, Danville residents, established the distinguished professorship with a blended gift of $500,000 to the Bloomsburg University Foundation. Joan Miller is a BU professor emeritus of nursing; her husband is a physician specializing in dermatology.

“Young people entering professional life all aspire to do good work, but they find challenges,” said Joan Miller. “The distinguished professor will creatively choose options that will enhance student and faculty learning and experiences, enabling faculty to advance as educators and encouraging students to advance as leaders in a chosen profession.”

Shifting Paradigm or Shifting Sands?

Bloomsburg University’s ICS Lecture Series presents Diana Zoelle, associate professor of political science, who will discuss “Global Partnership for Development Effectiveness: Paradigm Shift or Shifting Sands?” on Thursday, March 5, at 5 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

The recent economic crisis (2007-08) and the concomitant assertion of rights to be heard by leaders of developing countries have forced a significant change in international development policies and programs. The Global Partnership for Development Effectiveness is a state-centered framework for cooperative development, recognizing participation by both private business and civil society in conjunction with government as essential to the success of future development activities.

This approach to development, also known as the Post-2015 plan, requires micro- rather than macro-economic assessment, including a structure to enable participating countries to gather data at the transaction level of interaction to help ensure transparency at all levels. The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), an idea that was conceived in the mid-’90s under the Clinton administration, is now well positioned to reinforce and assess the operation of the Global Partnership.

BU's first endowed professorship

A gift of $1.9 million from Edward and Julianne (Miller) Breiner, who graduated from Bloomsburg University in 1977, establishes the university’s first endowed professorship in support of an exceptional teacher, mentor and leader.

They looked to BU's needs when determining the focus of their most recent gift and established the professorship within the Department of Nursing, specifically in support of BU's Doctor of Nursing Practice. The Breiner Professorship of Nursing will create a new senior faculty position, with additional funding to be used for research, conferences, travel, software and equipment or other professional expenses.

“We talked with university officials about ways our gift could make BU a stronger university,” said Julie Breiner. “With the health profession, there is a potential to make a huge impact as far as healing and caring. Nursing really resonated with us.”

“For Bloomsburg University, there is no stronger endorsement of our mission and the lifelong impact we have on our students than the support of our alumni,” said BU President David Soltz. “The Breiner Professorship of Nursing will enable us to bring in a scholarly senior faculty member who will lead our new Doctor of Nursing Practice, grow the program through research, teaching and innovation and mentor the next generation of nursing professionals.”

Forensics Team continues productive spring

Bloomsburg University’s Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team recently won fourth place at the Pennsylvania Forensic Association’s State Championship Tournament at Penn State University, finishing ahead of Penn State and Wilkes University.

Speaking and Debate Award Winners

Arrista Voorhees: second in Poetry

Samantha Smith: second in Parliamentary Debate with Jayleen Alvarado, second in Dramatic Duo with Jayleen Alvarado, fourth in Rhetorical Analysis, fifth in Informative Speaking, fifth in Individual Sweepstakes

Jayleen Alvarado: second in Parliamentary Debate with Samantha Smith, second in Dramatic Duo with Samantha Smith, sixth in Poetry

Neil Strine, director of forensics, served as a speech and debate judge at the state tournament. Timothy Oleksiak, of English, and Daniel Bloomingdale, of communication studies, serve as faculty coaches for the Bloomsburg University Team, which is supported by funding through the Community Government Association and provides an opportunity for students to earn college credit towards graduation.

The team meets every Monday at 9 p.m. in Bakeless Center 202. All students are welcome to join the team.

HACC, BU partner on applied science degree

HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and Bloomsburg University signed a guaranteed admissions agreement this week to make it possible for HACC graduates who have earned an associate degree in applied science to complete BU’s bachelor of applied science degree program in technical leadership at HACC’s Harrisburg Campus.

Employers are searching for professionals who are technically skilled in their fields and have the ability to work collaboratively and effectively in leadership and supervisory roles.

The technical leadership program provides training in areas such as:

Business communication

Collaboration

Team and workgroup leadership

Workplace diversity

Staff training and development

Project management

Conflict resolution

Intercultural communication

This partnership with Bloomsburg University will provide a new opportunity for HACC graduates to build upon their education without losing credits in the transfer process. By allowing students to complete the program in Harrisburg, HACC and Bloomsburg will help provide the South Central Pennsylvania workforce with qualified technical leaders.

The show will be held at Haas Gallery of Art, located on the second floor of Haas Center for the Arts, and will run through Thursday, March 12. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. Haas Gallery of Art is closed on Sundays. All gallery events are free and open to the public.

Johnson creates her art using printmaking, collage, pigments, ink and other combined elements. Inspired by China’s rich texture, patterns and ornamental designs, she began working with pigment, ink and water on traditional Chinese calligraphy paper, pouring water and ink onto sidewalks and using the paper to collect the ink and dust. In this way, Johnson’s work acts as an inscription of China’s culture and the experiences offered there.

An associate lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Johnson was named Milwaukee Artist Resource Network Protégé in 2010. Her awards include the Mary L. Nohl Suitcase Export Award, the UWM Academic Staff Professional Development Award and the Mobile Learning Grant. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Budapest, Hungary. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in visual art from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in studio art from UWM.

BU hosts 'A Taste of the Arts'

Taste of the Arts, an afternoon of art and entertainment by Bloomsburg University students and faculty, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Caldwell Consistory in downtown Bloomsburg.

Students and faculty in theatre, music, dance, art, mass communications, English and art history departments will showcase their talents throughout the afternoon with performances taking place every 10 minutes. Taste of the Arts will feature music by the Jazz and Percussion ensembles, Concert Choir, Sax Quartet, Guitar Ensemble, Women’s Chorale and Husky Singers, theatrical and dance performances, and poetry readings, along with fine arts exhibitions, demonstrations and talks.

Mass communications students Benjamin Moore, Jim Thorpe; Cailley Breckinridge, Lykens; Margaret Korell, Cressona; Brittany Chubirka, Union Dale; and Andrew Turnure, Harleysville, will present short films or music videos and art history students Olivia Bene, Hazleton; and Carleigh Allison, Carbondale, will present their research throughout the afternoon.

Creative writing and theatre students will stage two readings of 10-minute plays inspired by BU’s history, including “The Bell Tolling,” written by Arielle Brown, Lebanon; directed by Bry Kifolo, West Milton; and featuring Dreland Goar, Folcroft; Maddie Okuniewski, Downingtown; and Jon Schultz, Fleetwood.

Laugher through tears, comedic depictions of WWI

Historian Lisa Stallbaumer-Beishline will examine how comedy has been used to memorialize World War I in her lecture “War is Funny Business: The Use of Humor to Explore the War,” on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s Centennial Hall 239. Stallbaumer-Beishline’s talk is part of the Great War Centennial Lecture Series hosted by BU’s Institute of Culture and Society. This lecture is free and open to the public.

The Great War of 1914-1918 has been depicted in many films and television programs. Some use dramatic devices to address events that left more than 10 million dead, while others use comedy. The BBC sitcom “Blackadder Goes Forth” satirized the war through the story of three soldiers’ struggle with the insanity of trench warfare and the indifference of their commanding officer. The series received many awards, but some critics complained that it reinforced over-simplistic historical myths. Stallbaumer-Beishline will discuss the role of such comic portrayals in memorializing war.

ICS Great War Centennial Series

M. Safa Saracoglu, professor of history, “Film and Discussion: The Ottoman Empire in the Great War,” on Thursday, March 19, 7 p.m. at Centennial Hall 239.

Nancy Gentile Ford, professor of history, “Americans All! Immigrant Soldiers in the U.S. Army in the Great War,” on Thursday, March 26, 7 p.m. at Centennial Hall 239.

Yahya Laayouni, assistant professor of languages and cultures, “Film and Discussion: France in the Great War,” on Thursday, April 9, 7 p.m. at Centennial Hall 239.

Tina Entzminger, professor of English, and students, “Hemingway and the Great War: Poster Presentations and Discussion,” on Thursday, April 16, 7 p.m. at Centennial Hall 239.

Nogin Chung, associate professor of art and art history, and students, “The Great War and Modernism in the Visual Arts: A Student Colloquium,” on Friday, April 24, 11 a.m. at Centennial Hall 239.

Campus to ‘unplug’ from technology

Bloomsburg University’s campus community has been asked to take a pledge to temporarily unplug from technology. Sponsored by the Institute for Culture and Society of the College of Liberal Arts, students, faculty and staff are asked to join the all-day, campus-wide BU Unplugged Symposium on Tuesday, Feb. 17, for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Students, in particular, are asked to unplug from cell phones and the Internet, said Archita Banik, assistant professor of economics at BU. As social media sites such as Facebook and YikYak become increasingly popular, it is important to become aware of how much time is spent on these online sources, she added. Faculty members are asked to the take the pledge to use alternative teaching methods in their classrooms.

As part of the event, Nancy Rothbard, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania, will provide the keynote presentation, “Social Media and the Social Minefield: A Survival Guide for the University, the Workplace and Life.” Rothbard will discuss the social impacts of technology on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. in McCormick Center 1303.

Also planned is a roundtable discussion on the merits of technology, specifically smart phones, on Monday, Feb. 16, at 3:30 p.m. in the Kehr Union Hide-Away. Participants are BU faculty David Magolis, associate professor of mass communications; David Heineman, assistant professor of communications studies; Megumi Omori, associate professor of sociology, social work and criminal justice; and Regina Bobak, assistant professor of developmental instruction.

The film “Disconnect” will be shown Monday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. in McCormick Center 1303. The drama follows a group of individuals, including a lawyer attached to his cell phone, a couple risking exposure online and the mother of a cyberbully, as they search for meaningful human connection in a world of technology. All events are free and open to the public.

BU Forensics makes impression at two competitions

Bloomsburg University’s Forensics Team recently won the third place team sweepstakes award at the Collegiate Forensic Association’s Annual Winter Tournament held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada. In addition, the team later won third place at the Wilkes University Harold Cox CFA Tournament. Every team member has won at least one speaking award at each of the tournaments entered so far this spring semester.

CFA Winter Tournament in Montreal

Delaney Hellman - second place Prose, third place Communication Analysis, third place After-Dinner Speaking, fifth place Parliamentary Debate with Abbey Porambo, fifth place Pentathlon

The BU Forensics Team meets every Monday at 9 p.m. in Bakeless, Center 202. All students are welcome to join the Forensics Team and may earn credit towards graduation.

Strategic Planning Grants announced

Six university initiatives, ranging from water quality monitoring to a sports leadership camp, received funding under the 2014 President’s Strategic Planning Grants. A total of $169,500 was awarded to the projects selected by BU’s president David Soltz this past December. These awards are a part of the ongoing Impact 2015: Building on the Past, Leading for the Future initiative by BU.

Establishing a real-time water quality monitoring station for Fishing Creek was funded for $50,000.

A model program to attract quality STEM transfer students from community colleges was awarded $35,000.

Weekly taste of sustainability

Sustainable agriculture may not be something many Huskies think about when deciding what to eat on campus. However, that’s exactly what Campus Dining has actively been doing for the past six years.

Notably this is done via Sustainable Seafood Fridays at the Scranton Commons — an initiative Campus Dining does in conjunction with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, bringing products to campus that are fished or farmed in ways that have less impact on the environment.

Additionally, Campus Dining regularly brings in local farmed products like egg plant, mushrooms, apples and peaches to be part of the regular menu throughout the semester ... just one of the many examples of #BUSustainability.

Big Dog Reading Series features faculty tandem

Bloomsburg University’s Big Dog Reading Series returns for its 15th year, featuring Jerry Wemple, assistant professor of English and creative writing, and Shanna L. Smith, English instructor. Their reading will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. in Monty’s Assembly Room on upper campus.

Wemple’s work includes three poetry collections, “You Can See It From Here,” selected by Pulitzer Prize-winner Yusef Komunyakaa for the Naomi Long Madgett poetry Award; “The Civil War in Baltimore”; and “The Artemas Poems.” Wemple has received awards for both writing and teaching, including a Fellowship in Literature from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Word Journal chapbook prize.

Originally from Kentucky, Smith was featured in the 2001 documentary, “Coal Black Voices,” celebrating the Affrilachian Poets’ 10th anniversary, and performed with the group again in 2011 at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. Her work has been published in Artists in Revolution, Eclipsing a Nappy New Millennium: An Anthology of Contemporary Mid-Western Poetry and Java House Anthology.

ICS Great War Lecture Series looks at Lusitania, American advertising

Jeanette Keith, professor of history, and Beth Michalec, instructor of communications studies at Bloomsburg University, will present their research in two separate lectures as part of the Institute for Culture and Society’s (ICS) lecture series, “The Great War in Modern Culture and Society.”

Keith’s “The Lusitania Syndrome” and Michalec’s “American Advertising and the Great War” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

In her lecture, Keith will discuss where the sinking of the Lusitania lives in the American memory and “why students rewrite history of American involvement in the Great War so that it makes sense.” Michalec will examine the ways advertising in the United States made use of images and themes related to World War I, also referred to as the Great War.

ICS lecture covers Nazi treatment of Russian Jews

Michael C. Hickey, professor of history at Bloomsburg University, will present his research as part of a lecture series created by BU’s Institute for Culture and Society. Hickey’s lecture, “Life and Death under Nazi Occupation: Jews and the Holocaust in Smolensk, Russia,” will be offered on Monday, Feb. 9, at 5 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239. The lecture is free and open to the public.

In July 1941, the German Army captured the western Russian city of Smolensk in a region that was home to up to 30,000 Jews. Nearly half of the local Jewish population evacuated before the German forces arrived, but the other half were caught under the German occupation regime. By the time Smolensk was liberated in 1943, only a handful of its Jews remained. Hickey will discuss the experience of Smolensk’s population, especially its Jews, during the Nazi occupation.

ICS Great War Lecture Series explores Boardwalk Empire

Brion White, instructor of communications studies, will present his research as part of the Institute for Culture and Society’s The Great War Centennial Lecture Series. White’s lecture, “Boardwalk Empire, PTSD and the Great War” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

White’s lecture brings discussion of World War I to “America’s Playground” Atlantic City. His lecture will present selections from the television series “Boardwalk Empire” and discuss the program's handling of the legacies of the Great War, with special attention to its treatment of shell shock, known today as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

White, who teaches public speaking and interpersonal communications, pursues research in media and militarism, especially during the Obama presidency. His most recent publication is an essay on peace activists Dorothy Day and Petra Kelly. All lectures in the series, sponsored by BU’s College of Liberal Arts, are free and open to the public.

Per-credit tuition pricing pilot initiated

Bloomsburg University undergraduate students will pay a fixed, per-credit tuition fee starting in fall 2015 under a plan approved by Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Board of Governors at the Jan. 22 meeting.

The new tuition pricing structure, being introduced under a two-year pilot program, will charge all undergraduate Pennsylvania resident students $284 per credit and all undergraduate non-resident students $568 per credit during academic year 2015-16. Previously, the university charged full-time undergraduate students enrolled in 12 to 18 credits a flat tuition rate.

BU’s Council of Trustees recommended Board of Governors’ approval for the pilot program during the December 2014 meeting. The plan will allow the university to structure its tuition revenue, the largest portion of revenue, in a more sustainable way and support several long-term strategic enrollment management goals. The Board of Governors previously agreed to similar tuition pricing plans at Millersville and Clarion universities and 17 additional flexible tuition- and fee-pricing plans for institutions across the State System. A per-credit pricing plan for Indiana University of Pennsylvania also was approved at the Jan. 22 meeting.

The new per-credit-hour tuition pricing brings Bloomsburg in line with many higher education institutions across the country and is guided by two elements of the institution’s strategic plan – enrollment management and fiscal sustainability.

BOG program honors high achievers

Bloomsburg University’s Board of Governors Scholars Program began its Spring 2015 semester with the Initial Meeting/Welcome Back Dinner, which included an overview of upcoming and exciting social events, workshops that promotes social and academic success and expectations within the scholarship program.

Also, Board of Governors scholars were awarded for their outstanding academic progress during the fall semester, achieving 3.5 GPA or above and 3.0 to 3.49 GPA.

The Board of Governors Tuition Scholarship targets students who excel academically including students of various races, and students majoring in liberal arts science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Recipients are required to participate in a structured program dedicated to the enhancement of retention and graduation rates.

ICS Great War Lecture Series explores Boardwalk Empire

Brion White, instructor of communications studies, will present his research as part of the Institute for Culture and Society’s The Great War Centennial Lecture Series. White’s lecture, “Boardwalk Empire, PTSD and the Great War” will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall 239.

White’s lecture brings discussion of World War I to “America’s Playground” Atlantic City. His lecture will present selections from the television series “Boardwalk Empire” and discuss the program's handling of the legacies of the Great War, with special attention to its treatment of shell shock, known today as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

White, who teaches public speaking and interpersonal communications, pursues research in media and militarism, especially during the Obama presidency. His most recent publication is an essay on peace activists Dorothy Day and Petra Kelly. All lectures in the series, sponsored by BU’s College of Liberal Arts, are free and open to the public.

O’Brien is an award winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor, producer and television personality. At the forefront of the biggest breaking news stories of the past two decades, O’Brien is one of the most sought-after journalists of current day.

Jealous is the former president and CEO of the NAACP. He stepped down from his post at the end of 2013. The youngest president in its history, he began his career at age 18 opening mail at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Malveaux has long been recognized for her progressive and insightful observations. She is a labor economist, noted author, and colorful commentator. Malveaux has been described by Cornel West as “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.” A native San Franciscan, she is the Founder and Thought Leader of Last Word Productions, Inc., a multimedia production company headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Mathis, a national figure known for his advocacy campaigns for equal justice, will speak at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall’s Gross Auditorium. His visit is sponsored by the Multicultural Center and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

His inspirational life story as a street youth who rose from jail to judge has provided hope to millions who watch him on his award-winning television court show each day. In addition, his weekly newspaper column brings social and political insight to readers throughout the country.

Faculty gear up for new semester via TALE academy

Bloomsburg University’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Center (TALE) recently capped its latest Teaching Excellence Academy in preparation for the spring semester. The group spent a week discussing course design principles, working collaboratively on project and completing a jigsaw activity where teaching fellow shared an active learning technique with the group.

The academy offers intensive exploration on the theory and practice of university teaching. Fellows are expected not only to apply what they learn to their own teaching, but also provide leadership and expertise to their colleagues.

BU receives initial Carnegie Classification

Bloomsburg University is one of 240 U.S. colleges and universities awarded the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s 2015 Community Engagement Classification. Eighty-three institutions, including BU, received the classification for the first time.

A total of 361 colleges and universities have attained the designation, which demonstrates an institutional commitment to volunteerism and community involvement. Institutions participate voluntarily by submitting materials describing the nature and extent of their engagement in projects and initiatives that benefit the community.

Marketing major among top 16 at international competition

This past fall, a group Bloomsburg University business students left their mark on the International Collegiate Sales Competition at Florida State University, including one marketing major who was among the top performers. Monica Favia, assistant professor of marketing, had her Principles of Selling class participate in a role-play for their final project on campus, and whoever did the best advanced to the sales competition in Florida. The sales team ended up placing ninth, while Amanda Leshko competing in the individual role-play, landed in the “Sweet Sixteen.”

Leshko’s first event at the competition was a role-play of selling Tom James, a high-end suit company. This was a hypothetical situation of her to try to sell the product to CEO’s and managers of different companies, sometimes even to the company you are selling about. There is a rubric they have to follow in order to get the points needed to move on to the next round, and Leshko did just that. She made it through the first round and then through the second.

Now she has 15 minuets to find out information of the next company before her presentation. Although she did not make it past the third round it was a truly great accomplishment to make it into the “Sweet Sixteen.” According to Leshko, being a marketing major I really didn’t know what to expect.